Erika Zschuppe dazzled the Nashville crowd once again Thursday, scoring two goals to earn a come-from-behind 2-2 draw for Florida Gulf Coast University women's soccer at Lipscomb.
"Really pleased with our ladies' effort to come back down 2-0 and get points on the road against a very good Lipscomb team, considering everything we are going through," head coach Jim Blankenship said.
Zschuppe scored a hat trick on the same field a season ago in the Atlantic Sun Conference Championship match, propelling FGCU back to the NCAA Tournament. The reigning ASUN Player of the Week added two more goals Thursday night to her Nashville resume, giving herself five in the last two matches played at Lipscomb.
Zschuppe has now also scored in three straight matches as she recorded a goal against Queens and West Georgia last weekend en route to her ASUN weekly honor.
Her first goal of the night brought the Eagles back to within one. Lipscomb was called for a handball in the box, allowing Zschuppe to step up and put away an easy penalty kick opportunity in the 51st minute.
FGCU trailed the Bisons 2-0 heading into the half. Lipscomb scored two late first-half goals in the 41st and 44th minutes. The Bisons' second goal came with less than 30 seconds to go courtesy of a redirected bouncing ball in the box.
The first instance witnessed Olivia Molina miss a jumping punch out that would leave the backside of the net wide open for a Lipscomb finish. Molina tied her career high in saves Thursday with 15, facing 22 shots from the Bisons.
Zschuppe struck again in the 56th minute, tying the match 2-2. Katharina Oelschlaeger played a perfect ball through two Lipscomb defenders that Zschuppe was able to chase down on the backside of the play. The Bisons' keeper came charging out with a slide, but Zschuppe touched it by her and slotted the ball away for her sixth goal of the season. Zschuppe's six goals now ties for the team lead this season.
With the tie and the single point earned, FGCU improves to 6-5-2 and 5-1-1 in ASUN play. Most importantly, with 16 points in conference play, FGCU is tied atop the ASUN standings alongside Central Arkansas at 5-0-1.
FGCU faces Austin Peay on Sunday at 2 p.m. on ESPN+. Austin Peay is fourth overall at 4-2-1 in the conference.
