MARTIN, Tenn. – Lipscomb University’s women’s soccer team dropped a tight, hard-fought battle to Tennessee Martin, 1-0, Sunday, to fall to 1-2-1 on the season.

“This was a good early test for us,” said head coach Jon Ireland. “They are a very good squad. This week, we’ll need to sharpen some things up, but the girls were organized, our shape was good and we played hard against a quality opponent.”

The Lady Skyhawks (3-1) went up early and never recovered after Hannah McGowen put a penalty kick away in the 25^th minute following a foul in the box.

“We had two defenders closing down in the corner of the 18 (box),” said Ireland. “We didn’t need to foul, but it just happened.”

Junior midfielder Martika Powe was awarded a yellow card in the 26^th minute, the only yellow given to either side on the day.

Following the goal, the game became a defensive battle, with neither side really getting a lot of quality looks on the net. Lipscomb got two shots on goal, while Martin managed only three.

The day was a long one for several Lady Bisons, with six players (Katie Wood, Erin Zerio, Kelsey Reiman, Stephanie Romero, Danielle Bethke and Powe) playing the full 90 minutes.

“We had to have a lot of players play the full time for a variety of reasons,” said Ireland. “We’re fit enough for that, but it’s not ideal.  The early part of this week will be used for recovery.”

Junior Zerio made two saves, tying her with Bethany Copeland for fourth all-time with 157.

She and the rest of the Lady Bisons will be back in action Friday, Sep. 2, when they travel to Chattanooga for a match at in-state rival Tennessee Chattanooga, followed by a Sunday, Sep. 4 match at Jackson State.

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