Box Score NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Friday evening's game marked the beginning of a new year for both Belmont and Lipscomb as they kicked off the regular season campaign - and they each welcomed it with big plays from a pair of rookies. Freshmen scored both of the goals in the double overtime match that ended in a draw, 1-1, at the Lipscomb Soccer Complex.
The Bison struck first after last year's assist leader, junior Natalie DeBoise, sent a perfect cross to freshman Olivia Doak to head in Lipscomb's only goal of the night. Doak found the back of the net in the 15th minute to give the Bison a 1-0 lead early.
"Lipscomb is a very solid team, Kevin and Kelsey have done a phenomenal job," head coach Heather Henson said. "We knew it was going to be a battle of the game and and battle of speed of play amd I thought it was really good for us. Coming out of our exhibition play and learning a lot and then playing a team like Lipscomb it was great to see how we played."
It wasn't until the last three minutes of the first half that Belmont would erase Lipscomb's advantage and even it up. Less than seven minutes into her debut, freshman forward Grace Whalen (Lexinton, Ky.) played a beautiful service from junior Heather Ferrari (Duluth, Ga.) to knot the game up at one goal apiece.
"I was just talking to coach earlier this week about being a sub off of the bench and bringing a spark and energy to the game," Whalen said. "It was one of the first plays that I was in and I thought to myself 'I'm going to put this in or set someone up to put it in.' With this team when someone does something everyone does something, I turned around and all my teammates were there. That's probably going to be in one of my top-10 favorite moments for awhile."
Whalen's equalizer came with only three minutes to spare in the first half and would spark an offensive frenzy for the Bruins.
"She gave everyone the physical example to see that when you come off the bench you spark us," Henson said. "Coming in as a freshman and scoring in your first regular season college game is great. It reinforced to our whole team, seniors all the way down, that we can do it together."
Coming out of the half tied, 1-1, Belmont tacked on the first three shots of the second stanza and took control of the ball early on. BU would go on to outshoot Lipscomb, 18 shots to 14, getting seven on goal. While they were able to make their way down the field often, the Bruins weren't able to find the back of the net for the remainder of the match.
Whalen wasn't the only freshman to impact the game as seven different newcomers saw playing time, including goalkeeper Lily Herman (Springboro, Ohio). Herman clocked the final 65 minutes of the match and made some crucial saves to keep the game tied. Within her first five minutes in goal the Bison attempted to head in a goal off a corner kick, similar to Whalen's play, but Herman jumped and tapped the ball over the net to prevent the Bison from gaining the advantage. The rookie collected all five saves for the bruins.
Sydney Zinser (Loveland, Ohio) also played in goal, getting the starting nod and playing the duration of the first half.
"Zinser and Lily had some really big plays," Henson said. "They both utilized their strenths in the game. It was great because we were able to play with our goalkeeper and play to their strengths. When a freshman and a redshirt-sophomore can come in and be able to put us in a situation like tonight, I'm proud of both of them to no end."
Belmont will head to Chicago, Illinois to play the Univeristy of Illinois Chicago on Sunday, Aug 21. The match is slated for 1 p.m. at Flames Field.
