WHO:

Lipscomb University Bisons, 10-6-2 in 2016, lost in semifinals of the Atlantic Sun Championship

WHAT:

Louisville City’s second preseason friendly!

WHEN:

Tonight, March 8, 2017, at 7:00 p.m. EST

WHERE:

Elizabethtown Sports Park, 1401 West Park Road, Elizabethtown, KY 42701. From their website (with some editing):

The complex spans 158 acres and is one of the largest youth sports venues in the country. With 12 baseball diamonds, 12 multi-sport fields, including 2 synthetic fields, an ADA accessible baseball complex, and state of art design, this park has many features of today’s professional sports facilities.

All full sized fields are fully lit with state-of-the-art Musco sports lighting, which lets you make the most of everyday as well as designed with drainage systems and computerized irrigation to assist in making fields playable even when the weather does not cooperate.

The department consists of a professional full time management and grounds staff as well as seasonal operation, grounds and concession staff. We offer 6 full-service concession stands, numerous restroom facilities including family restrooms, and 3 large covered pavilions with tables and seating for pre-game and post-game gatherings. For younger fans there are 4 playgrounds with cool water misting stations to help keep youngsters from overheating in hot weather. Or, if you’d rather warm up than cool down, there’s even a 3 mile walking/jogging trail. The park also features a Wi-Fi tower for live streaming, tournament director offices with meeting space and officials’ locker rooms.

Why don’t we have something even approaching this in Louisville? (SHRUG EMOJI).

WATCH:

It’ll have to be in person, as there’s no streaming or radio broadcast that I know of. E-town is nice! You’ll probably like it! Try the veal!

WHO, AGAIN?

Lipscomb University Bisons. Let’s ignore the fact that the plural of bison is bison, and get to what’s really important: THE OTHER FACTS. Lipscomb is a small, private Christian liberal arts university near Green Hills, just south of Nashville, Tennessee. If you’re a basketball fan, you’ve surely seen them play some heated games against nearby Belmont in the Atlantic Sun tournament leading up to March Madness. Their only alumnus that you’ve probably ever heard of is Pat Boone, a pop musician from the 1950s. The fact that I had to write that means he’s not that famous. They also wear purple and play soccer! I’m noticing a theme!

The Bisons (ugh) are coming off their best ever season where they returned 19 players and brought in ten (TEN!) freshmen. Charles Morrow is beginning his eleventh year as head coach, and has an record of 90-115-22 going into 2017. Looking at their 2016 statistics, Lipscomb plays a bit of a wide-open game, averaging over 13 shots taken versus over nine surrendered per match. They scored 31 (on 25 assists) goals and conceded 22 in 18 games in 2016.

Their leading scorer, redshirt sophomore Logan Paynter, scored eleven goals on 40 shots, and also had four assists. Three of Paynters goals were game winners. The Bisons also have a Kyle Smith! He’s number 26.

Daniel Muhlbauer is one of the few foreign nationals on the squad, a 6’4″, 185 lb German defensive midfielder that sounds terrifying. He didn’t fill up the stat sheet last year, but a dude that big just sounds incredible playing midfield. Like Yaya Toure or something, when he tried all the time.

Lipscomb’s starting goalkeeper for 2016 is a senior, so I don’t expect we’ll see him tonight. His backup, Christopher Zappia, played in five games last year and gave up seven goals with 25 saves. He was a busy guy!

I watched the Bisons (come on) play Kentucky to a 1-1 draw last fall, and my recollection is that they’re very solid defensively and do a good job maintaining shape and width in defense. They didn’t do a whole lot with the ball, but did enjoy a counterattack, something Louisville City has been prone to giving up in the past. This should be an interesting test for Louisville City, if nothing else.

COME ON, CITY!