Belmont shuts out Lipscomb to claim Battle of the Boulevard bragging rights
The Lipscomb Bisons men’s soccer team fell short in the 29th edition of the Battle of the Boulevard, dropping a 2–0 decision to cross-town rival Belmont University on Tuesday night at E.S. Rose Park.
Despite playing with a man advantage for the final 20 minutes and shifting heavily to the front foot, the Bisons could not solve the Bruins’ defense, pushing the all-time rivalry series record to 13–12–4 in favor of Belmont.
“Yeah, I thought, you know, unfortunate to be down a goal at the end of the half, and, really proud of the way the guys played on the front foot, the second half, and created a lot of chances,” Lipscomb head coach Charles Morrow said. “Thought we were unfortunate not to get one back, and then, you know, credit Belmont for a great set piece there in the second half, against the run of play, that sort of put the game out of reach.”
The rivals wasted no time turning up the intensity in South Nashville, but it was Belmont that found the back of the net first. Just 4 minutes and 18 seconds into the match, Belmont’s graduate midfielder John McDowell found senior forward Lucas Wolthers. Wolthers struck a left-footed shot into the bottom left corner past Lipscomb redshirt junior goalkeeper Alex Kara to give the Bruins an immediate 1–0 lead.
The Bisons looked to respond and began generating depth in their attack. In the 18th minute, freshman midfielder Tobias Sosa put a shot on frame that was saved by Belmont freshman goalkeeper Brody Sucher. Just a minute later, junior forward Robert Rodriguez found space but his attempt was blocked, followed immediately by an off-target strike from sophomore forward Mateo Secaira
Belmont remained an aggressive threat on the counter-attack, seemingly scoring a second goal in the 26th minute. However, the play was whistled for offside, a call that was upheld following a lengthy video assistant referee (VAR) review. The Bruins threatened again in the 28th minute when senior forward Nathan Ferguson missed wide from a difficult angle.
Kara kept the Bisons within striking distance just before halftime, making a crucial save on an freshman forward Aiden Pierpoint shot in the 41st minute to keep the deficit at 1–0 entering the break.
Lipscomb opened the second half aggressively, trying to break through a stingy Belmont backline. Sophomore midfielder Alejandro Valcarce tested Sucher with a high shot to the top left corner in the 60th minute, followed by a low-left attempt by freshman defender Kylian Karsenty in the 64th minute, but Sucher stopped both to maintain the clean sheet.
The match flipped in the 70th minute when Belmont’s Ferguson picked up his second yellow card of the night, resulting in a red card and sending him off the pitch.
With a man advantage for the remaining 20 minutes, Lipscomb threw numbers forward, initiating a heavy offensive barrage. Karsenty immediately fired a dangerous shot to the top left that was saved by Sucher. Shortly after, freshman defender Enzo Evangelista and redshirt sophomore Luke Hanlon back-to-back peppered the bottom center and bottom left of the frame, but Sucher stood tall for the Bruins.
Despite playing a man down, Belmont found the decisive dagger on a set piece in the 79th minute. Bruin substitute sophomore midfielder Nzuhri Biggar took control of the ball and fired a right-footed shot into the bottom center of the net, extending the lead to 2–0.
Lipscomb continued fighting in the closing minutes, getting an 85th-minute shot on target from substitute freshman forward James Sasere, but Sucher picked up his seventh and final save of the night to secure the shutout victory for the Bruins.
“Really disappointed with the result, but ultimately not all disappointed with the, with the way we played, and think that there’s, there’s good to build from that,” Morrow added. “But ultimately, you know, this is another game this season that we look at, and I feel like we could have done just a couple things better to give a different result.”
The Bisons will look to bounce back quickly as they head on the road to face Central Arkansas in Conway, AR, on Friday, Sept.11. Moving forward, tactical efficiency in the final third will be the focus during a tight window of preparation.
“I just think recovery, it’s been a busy couple weeks for us, for sure,” Morrow said. “So, you know, recovery number one, but also, I think that in terms of breaking down a low block, in an attacking 3rd movement, I think will be a point of emphasis.”
Addressing the Bisons faithful after a hard-fought rivalry battle, Morrow expressed his appreciation for the fan base. “Thank you. Thank you. Wish the result was different. Your support means a lot, and, hopefully there’ll be better results, more exciting times, moving forward this season.”
Featured Image taken by Evelyn Bern.
