Soccer to close ASUN road trip in Nashville

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (September 28, 2024) – The University of North Alabama soccer team travels to finalize a three-game Atlantic Sun Conference road trip in Nashville, Tenn. against Lipscomb on Sunday at 1 p.m. at Lipscomb Soccer Complex. The Lions upset the Bisons 1-0 in the ASUN Semifinal game in 2023 en route to the ASUN Championship Game.

MATCHUP

North Alabama vs. Lipscomb

Sunday, September 29

1 p.m.

Nashville, Tenn. – Lipscomb Soccer Complex

1 University Park Drive, Nashville, TN 37204        

                                     

LIVE STATS | ESPN+ | GAME NOTES

 

NOTES

SERIES HISTORY: This will be the 13th all-time meeting between the two teams. The Lions are 4-8 in this matchup with their marquee win coming in the ASUN postseason last year. The first matchup came under head coach Aston Rhoden where the Lions won 3-2 in 2000. These two teams have matched up twice in the ASUN postseason both in 2018 and 2023. 

ABOUT LAST GAME: The University of North Alabama soccer team dropped its second straight road game on a rainy Thursday, falling to Austin Peay State University by a score of 2-0. Senior forward Haley Patterson shot four times with two shots on goal. The first 45 minutes were fairly quiet for UNA and APSU as the sides ended the first half scoreless. Goalkeeper Allanah Blye did most of the talking for North Alabama, putting up four saves in the first half alone, which is a fifth of her season total. She matched her season-high of five saves last set in a win over UT Martin. The Govs out-shot the Lions 16-11 and also had an 8-5 advantage in shots on goal.

SCOUTING THE BISONS: The Bisons have lost only three games this season. One came against in-state opponent Tennessee, one against Troy and the latest, ASUN foe Central Arkansas. Lipscomb is allowing less than nine shots per game and only five teams have exceeded that mark over 10 games, three of the five were teams that beat Lipscomb. Lipscomb won its first seven ASUN matches to start in 2023, and this season the Bisons already have one loss and one tie in conference play. 

ESTABLISHING A RIVALRY: This series has sparked a rivalry since the Lions joined the ASUN in 2019. North Alabama and Lipscomb have battled nine times since transition. In 2018 and 2023, both teams met in the regular season then met in the postseason tournament. In 2018, the postseason matchup came in the first ever Division I championship game for the Lions where they fell 3-2. The most previous one came in the ASUN semifinal game where Lipscomb hosted North Alabama and got upset by a score of 1-0. This was the first win over Lipscomb for Chris Walker and UNA in the Division I era.

CORNER COINCIDENCE: Lipscomb has lost three games this season — Tennessee, Central Arkansas and Troy. Two of the losses, UT and Troy, saw Lipscomb’s opponents acquire more corner kicks en route to a victory. The past two seasons, this has been one of North Alabama’s specialties. UNA already has 47 corner kicks on the season, including a 10-corner kick game against Queens.

WATCH HOUR: North Alabama head coach Chris Walker is on the way to eclipsing the century mark for his career in wins. Since he has been at UNA, he has accomplished a 97-88-23 overall record in his 12 years and is three wins shy of his 100th career win. He is 14 away from tying former Lion head coach Graham Winkworth’s all-time record of 111 wins. 

NEXT GAME: The Lions begin a nice home stretch where they play Bellarmine on Thursday, Oct. 3 at 7 p.m. at the Florence Sportsplex in Florence, Ala. This begins a four-game home stretch that will conclude against North Florida and where they will play at the Cox Creek Sports Complex.

For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.