NASHVILLE, Tenn. – With a second-half scoring binge, the Lipscomb men’s soccer team defeated two-time defending Atlantic Sun Champions Florida Gulf Coast 3-1 on Saturday night at the Lipscomb Soccer Complex.

With the win, the Bisons improve to 4-8-0 and get the first conference win to move to 1-1-0 in the A-Sun. The Eagles fall to 3-5-2 overall and 0-1-1 in the loop.

“Obviously a huge win for us with it being our first conference win this year,” Lipscomb head coach Charles Morrow said. “It is so important to get that monkey off your back and I am glad we were able to do that in the first weekend of conference play.”

After a physical and scoreless first half, the Bisons took control in the second stanza.

LU jumped on the scoreboard in the 61^st minute on Luke Salmen’s first goal of the season. Josue Chavez crossed the ball to Jeremy Reid who then slipped the ball to Salmen. Salmen used a sliding scissor-kick to strike the ball into the net.

Just eight minutes later, Reece Holcombe made a pass from the center of the pitch to a streaking Chavez on the left side. Chavez took the pass, cut in and unleashed his shot landing in the bottom-right corner of the goal.

For added insurance in the 80^th minute, Robbie Johnson struck a pass to Holcombe on a breakaway, knocking in his second goal on the season.

The Eagles tallied a goal in the 83^rd minute with Jelani Smith put a head on the ball, finding the back of the net.

However, the Eagles could not muster any other offense as the Bisons clamped down on the defense to take the 3-1 victory.

“Guys were disciplined defensively and were hard to break down,” Morrow said. “Florida Gulf Coast is a very talented team and this was a huge win for us.”

Freshman goalkeeper Miguel Hof held sturdy making seven saves for the Bisons while counterpart Nathan Ingham made one save for the Eagles.

The Bisons continue a stretch of four straight games at the Lipscomb Soccer Complex on Saturday, as they welcome ETSU in the annual Coaches vs Cancer game. Kick-off is slated for 7 p.m. and can be seen for free on ASun.TV.

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