Lady Bisons drop inaugural meeting against ASUN newcomer West Florida, 3–0
In the inaugural matchup between the two programs, the Lipscomb Bisons women’s soccer team suffered a 3–0 setback to ASUN newcomer University of West Florida on Thursday afternoon at the UWF Soccer Complex.
The contest marked the first-ever conference meeting between Lipscomb and West Florida following the Argos’ transition to NCAA Division I and the Atlantic Sun Conference this fall.
Despite testing UWF graduate goalkeeper Karla Guzman-Ortiz with 12 shots on target, Lipscomb (1–1–2 ASUN) was unable to solve the home side’s defense, as West Florida capitalized on key offensive transitions in both halves.
The Lady Bisons opened the match aggressively in the final third, getting early attempts on frame from junior forward Katie Brightwell in the 3rd and 11th minutes. However, Guzman-Ortiz turned both away to keep the match level.
West Florida took advantage of its momentum in the 32nd minute. Junior forward Olof Thorvaldsdottir set up senior defender Lindsay Gill, who struck a finish past Lipscomb junior goalkeeper Sundell “Sunnie” Woodard to put the Argos ahead 1–0 entering halftime.
The Argos struck quickly out of the break. Less than a minute into the second half, graduate forward Eva Mowery found the back of the net at the 45:48 mark to double West Florida’s advantage to 2–0.
Lipscomb looked to respond as freshman forward Haylee Dean put a low shot on frame in the 57th minute, but Guzman-Ortiz secured another save. West Florida added the final dagger in the 64th minute when senior forward Kaitlyn Herb buried a strike to extend the lead to 3–0.
Lady Bisons continued to fight down the stretch, generating a heavy offensive push around the 70th minute with consecutive shots on target from freshman forward Reygan Ropero, sophomore forward Skylar Cole, redshirt junior forward Annalise Cannada, and sophomore defender Naomi Hochgesang, but Guzman-Ortiz stopped each attempt to preserve the shutout.
Lady Bisons will look to bounce back quickly as they continue their road swing in Charlotte, North Carolina, facing Queens University of Charlotte on Sunday, Oct. 11.
Featured Image courtesy of Lipscomb Athletics
Harold Espinoza Lopez
Harold is a junior Sports Media major and Marketing minor. A Nashville native with a lifelong passion for sports, he loves bringing dynamic coverage to Herd Media. Outside of media and marketing, Harold is a true people person who stays busy traveling, playing sports, and exploring the world.
