Date Posted: 11/12/2008

MACON, Ga. - Lipscomb jumped on Mercer early with two goals in the first 16 minutes and held on to a 2-1 victory in the opening game of the 2008 Atlantic Sun Conference Men’s Soccer Championship on Wednesday from Campbell’s Eakes Athletic Complex.

Garret Pettis, the 2008 A-Sun Freshman of the Year, extended his Lipscomb single-season record for goals, tallying his 12th in just the fifth minute of play, converting on a rebound off a Miguel DaSilva attempt.

The Bisons (10-8-2) extended their lead 12 minutes later when freshman forward Andrew Chamberlain dribbled past his defender and found the back of the net for the fourth time in 2008. T.J. Williams assisted on the goal, his third of the season.

Lipscomb dominated the opening 45 minutes, blanking the Bears (2-11-5) not just on the scoreboard, but also in terms of shots, outshooting Mercer 10-0 in the first half. The Bears did not record their first shot until the 58th minute of play.

“The freshmen have been big all year,” Lipscomb head coach Charles Morrow said. “The lack of awards was a little bit of motivation for them. We thought we had the best freshmen class in the conference no question, but only one guy on the All-Freshman team. I think that was definitely motivating for them and all of them played great tonight.”

Seven minutes after their initial shot, Mercer cut the deficit in half as Arkenson Neckles successfully beat Lipscomb goalkeeper Joey DeRosa with a blast from just outside the penalty box for his fourth goal of the season. Bolade Ogunmade, a First-Team All-Atlantic Sun performer assisted on the play, his first of the season, as did Richard Wimsatt, who also recorded his first assist.

For the match, Lipscomb outshot Mercer 16-5 and recorded seven shots on goal to Mercer’s two.

Lipscomb earned a spot in the semifinals for the second-straight season. The Bisons will take on the second-seeded Jacksonville Dolphins at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. This match, and all Men’s Soccer Championship matches, can be seen on ASun.TV. Matt Lightner and Ryan Dunn will call all the action.

“All the preparation is done,” Morrow said. “We spent all last week getting prepared for this week. We won’t do anything different tomorrow than we would any other game.”

The Dolphins and Bisons met on Nov. 2 in the final conference game for both schools. The Dolphins secured the No. 2 seed by beating the Bisons, 3-1. First-Team All-Atlantic Sun forward Ramak Niakan Safi scored twice for Jacksonville.

The Atlantic Sun Conference is an 11-member league committed to Building Winners for Life. The A-Sun stands for achievement with integrity in both the academic and athletic arenas, with a focus on the balance between the two for our student-athletes. Headquartered in Macon, Ga., the A-Sun boasts six of the top eight media markets in the Southeast. The A-Sun includes a blend of the most prestigious and dynamic private and public institutions in the region: Belmont University, Campbell University, East Tennessee State University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Jacksonville University, Kennesaw State University, Lipscomb University, Mercer University, University of North Florida, University of South Carolina Upstate and Stetson University.

Related Links:
 •  Lipscomb-Mercer Box Score
 • Championship Coverage