The FGCU men's soccer team (4-5-2, 1-0-1 A-SUN) came away with a nail-biting 3-2 victory over conference preseason favorite Lipscomb (2-5-1, 1-1-0 A-SUN) Saturday night at the FGCU Soccer Complex.
The win moves FGCU into third place with four points in the A-SUN as Stetson (6-5-1, 2-0-1) and UNF (3-3-2, 2-0-1) are both tied for first with seven points.
"We had a phenomenal first half, going into the break with a 2-0 lead, but in the second half, we didn't manage it so well," said head coach Jesse Cormier. "We lost some of our composure in the second half and let them get back into it. Overall, I'm happy to come away with the three points against the defending conference champions. We'll put this game behind us, analyze it and be better for the next game when we come back."
“I was proud how we battled back and made it a game in the second half,” Lipscomb men’s soccer head coach Charles Morrow said. “But I really challenged the guys at the end of the game about the way they approached the game and their first half performance.”
For starting goalkeepers, Cormier sent redshirt junior Connor Gavigan to the box while Morrow sent redshirt freshman Alex Brown to counter.
Sophomore O'Vonte Mullings caused problems early on for the Lipscomb back line as the sophomore nearly gave FGCU the lead but his shot in the box just skipped over the cross bar in the 17th minute. His constant pressure finally paid dividends in the 23rd minute as Mullings one-timed a pass from senior Ryan Medilah inside the box from the right-side for the 1-0 lead. This was Mullings' second goal of the season and Medilah's second assist of the season.
Before heading into the half, freshman Aiden Jokomba made it 2-0 courtesy of another pass inside the 18-yard box, this time from redshirt junior Noah Bushey from the left-side. This was Jokomba's second goal of the season and Bushey's first assist of the season.
Despite being down 2-0, Lipscomb cut the deficit down to one with a goal in the 58th minute. The FGCU defense continued to hold its ground and finally go the much needed cushion in the 81st minute as Mullings collected his second goal of the night and third goal of the season. The play started beyond midfield first with junior Chris Clement who then passed it to Bushey past the midfield stripe. From there, he threaded a pass to Mullings who took the one on one matchup and delivered the right-footed shot to the back of the net. It was Clement's first assist of the season and Bushey's second assist of the game and season.
Lipscomb turned the match into a nail-biter scoring in the 89th minute and nearly delivered the equalizer with seconds left on the scoreboard but Gavigan made a diving save to his near post to preserve the 3-2 win for the Eagles.
All said the Eagles outshot the Bisons 17-15 with five of those shots coming on frame. Gavigan, who was making his first start of the year, came up with three saves, all in the second stanza. Mullings led the squad with a game-high five shots.
Gavigan (1-1) would earn his first win after getting three saves.
Brown (0-4) would be dubbed with the loss after earning two saves.
Up Next:
FGCU will face No. 13 FIU (7-0-2) at the FGCU Soccer Complex this Tuesday night (Oct. 8). Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
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