NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Central Arkansas took its first loss of the ASUN schedule to Lipscomb on Saturday, falling 6-3 in Nashville. The Bears scored two late goals to cut into the lead, but it was too little, too late against the reigning champion Bisons.
The loss drops the Bears to 2-5-2, now 1-1-1 in league games.
Devonte Richards scored his first goal of the season in the first half, but the Lipscomb offense took over and created an insurmountable lead. Despite a couple of second half goals from the Bears, Central Arkansas couldn't climb out of the hole.
Central Arkansas controlled early possession, keeping the ball in the offensive third, but couldn't tack down that final long ball to put shooters in good positions. Lipscomb's keeper did a good job coming off his line to intercept passes and punch out crosses, keeping the Bears off the board. Lipscomb countered in the 11
th minute, driving the length of the field and punching home the first score of the game.
But the Bears fought back; driving up the left side and drawing a foul to set up a free kick. Lining up, Richards blasted it toward the goal and past the keeper, evening the score. It marked the first goal of the season for Richards, who scored 22 goals last season at Feather River College. Lipscomb responded with goals in the 21
st and 23
rd minutes, jumping out to a 3-1 lead midway through the first half.
The teams traded shots on goal over the next couple of minutes, forcing saves from each side's keeper. Lipscomb would outshoot the Bears 8-6 over the first 45 minutes, taking the 3-1 lead into the break.
Lipscomb scored three more in the second half, before
Jackson Dutton tacked on his first-career goal in the 78
th minute. Dutton is the seventh Bear to log a goal this season, and the second freshman to find the back of the net. Five minutes later,
Ignacio Bellina finished his second goal of the season, cutting the lead to three with under ten minutes remaining.
Central Arkansas remains on the road for the next outing, heading to Florida for the first time this season to take on Jacksonville. Kickoff against the Dolphins is set for 6 p.m. CT next Saturday.
