Bisons fall to Belmont 2-0 in storm-delayed rivalry
Lipscomb men’s soccer fell to archrival Belmont 2-0 on Sunday, Sept. 21, at the Lipscomb Soccer Complex in the 28th annual Battle of the Boulevard. The loss came after a sellout crowd and a dramatic lightning delay that changed the atmosphere of the entire game.
The Bisons couldn’t find the back of the net and were shut out by a strong defensive effort from Belmont. The loss marks a difficult result for Lipscomb in its final game before ASUN conference play begins.
“There’s a lot of pride that’s wrapped up in it,” said Lipscomb Head Coach Charles Morrow. “What we would hope to see, in terms of what they brought to the game, was a little more thought. We saw a lot of energy, we saw the competitiveness, but I think a little more thought would have gone a long way.”
The atmosphere was electric from the start, with both sides of the stands packed. The Lipscomb student section, the Lippy Lunatics, held a “blackout” for a rivalry game, creating a powerful presence. The game’s energy was at a peak when Belmont’s senior midfielder Brad Dildy scored in the 29th minute, assisted by freshman midfielder Paul Claes Nielsen.
The goal was immediately followed by a lightning delay that lasted for an hour, forcing most of the crowd to leave. When the game resumed, Belmont solidified its lead in the 57th minute when freshman forward Jaxon Stokes scored from the bottom right corner, assisted by Nielsen. The two goals proved to be enough for Belmont, whose graduate student goalkeeper Grant Calvert recorded one save to secure the victory.
The passionate atmosphere of the rivalry was on full display as both fan bases turned out. Lipscomb fan Sam Garrett described the crowed as a “sellout,” noting that “there wasn’t a seat in the crowd.”
“A victory against Belmont means everything,” Garrett said. “If we win no other game in a year and then we only win our Belmont games, we would call it a successful year.”
The Bisons will travel to Louisville, Kentucky, to face Bellarmine at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 27.
Featured image taken by Micah Barkley.
