NASHVILLE, Tenn. – A school-record tying performance from senior Garret Pettis led the Lipscomb men’s soccer team to a much-needed victory in Sunday’s match-up with North Florida. The Bisons picked up a pivotal three points in the Atlantic Sun standings with a 5-0 drubbing of the Ospreys.

Pettis scored a career-high and Lipscomb (4-9-2, 3-2-0 in the Atlantic Sun) record-tying four goals in the contest, each coming in the first 30 minutes of play. The school record is now shared by Pettis and Scott Mason, who scored four in a Lipscomb win against Centenary on Oct. 24, 2005. It marks the first time an A-Sun player has scored four or more goals in a game since Mason did it, and ties Pettis for seventh-most in a single game in A-Sun history.

The senior from Elizabethton, Pa. didn’t waste any time in this one. In the third minute, Pettis notched his first goal of the day, taking a long pass from sophomore Kevin Barbar and putting it past UNF’s Federico Bertele.

Pettis struck again in the 17th minute, scoring his second goal following a sophomore Kyle Erickson corner kick. Freshman Edvaldo Pedro’s header found Pettis, who found the back of the net for the second time.

In the 26th minute, Erickson took another corner the Pedro headed towards the net. Pettis got a body on it and re-directed it past the keeper for the score.

With two more assists to his credit, Erickson leads the Bisons with five assists in 2011.

Three minutes later, senior Evan McGee found Pettis on a low cross to the front of the net. Pettis one-touched it by the keeper for his eighth goal of the season and another mark in the Lipscomb record book.

In addition to tying the school record for single-game goal scoring, Pettis’ final goal of the day was the 32nd of his career. That ties him with Miguel DaSilva for most in Lipscomb history since the school moved to the Division I level. He also moves closer to overtaking DaSilva in career points; Pettis now has 74, eight away from equaling DaSilva’s career total of 82.

It was also a moment of personal triumph for Pettis. Despite being the A-Sun’s active leading scorer, Pettis had never scored a goal against North Florida and only had one assist to his credit in his previous three games against the Ospreys.

Sophomore Isaac Pile capped the Bisons scoring night with a 75th-minute goal, his first of the season. Sophomore Ryan Savitsky assisted on the goal for his first career point.

The Bisons doubled up North Florida (1-12-0, 0-5-0 A-Sun) on shots (16-8), but more important than attempts was the quality. Lipscomb put nine shots on goal in the game, compared to just two for the Ospreys.

McGee stopped both Osprey shots that were on target, earning his second shutout of the campaign.

Lipscomb will travel to Florida next week, stopping first in Fort Myers to play preseason A-Sun favorite Florida Gulf Coast (Oct. 21, 6 p.m.) The Bisons continue the weekend in the Sunshine State with a Sunday match at Stetson (Oct. 23, 11 a.m.) that will end the Lipscomb regular season road schedule.

Check LipscombSports.com for more information on the Bison soccer team, and be sure to follow us on Twitter (@LUMSoccer) and like us on Facebook (Lipscomb University Men’s Soccer Team).

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