Box Score (PDF)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Sophomore Bradley Farias scored a pair of goals and fellow sophomore Michael Clemmons scored the first goal of his collegiate career as Campbell defeated Lipscomb 3-2 at E.S. Rose Park in the Belmont Invitational on Friday evening.

Campbell (1-3-0) earned its first victory under new head coach Dustin Fonder, taking down a Bisons (1-3-0) squad that upset No. 10 Xavier 2-1 in its most recent match on Sept. 3. The win was also Campbell's first in the series against Lipscomb since a 4-3 victory on Oct. 16, 2008, when both sides were members of the Atlantic Sun Conference.

"I think the guys were desperate to get a win tonight to boost the confidence of the team and we were able to go out and do that against a very good Lipscomb team," Fonder said. "Our guys were very workmanlike in their approach tonight and weathered the storm to get the win."

As a team, Campbell outshot Lipscomb 8-6 on shots that found their target and secured the victory despite the Bisons holding a 9-1 advantage on corner kicks.

Farias led all players with three shots on goal and collected his third career multi-goal match with his pair of goals; his last came on Oct. 18, 2014, when he also netted a pair at Gardner-Webb. Redshirt senior Ricki Gaez came off the bench in the second half for the Camels, firing a pair of shots on goal as well.

"Bradley showed what he could do as a striker tonight, but his most important plays were the little things that he did for us," Fonder said. "He had a clearing header and a long clearance late in the match to help get us the win."

In goal, redshirt sophomore Matthew Mozynski tallied four saves while playing the full 90 minutes for Campbell. Micah Bledsoe also played the full match for Lipscomb, making five saves.

Campbell grabbed an early 1-0 lead in the eighth minute of the contest, converting its lone corner kick opportunity of the evening. Freshman Josh Signey sent the ball into the box and Farias went up to meet it, beating Bledsoe with a header for his third goal of the season.

Mozynski was forced into action for the first time in the 31st minute, coming up with a save on Joe Kerridge's shot following a Lipscomb corner kick to preserve the 1-0 advantage.

At the 39:59 mark, Farias found the back of the net for the second time to put Campbell up 2-0. Following a Bisons foul just outside the penalty area, the Indiantown, Fla., native blasted a free kick past Bledsoe for the two-goal edge that held up through the halftime break.

Just under four minutes into the second frame, Clemmons tallied his first collegiate goal with a helper from Farias. Set up on a pass from the left side to the top of the box, Clemmons sent a one-touch shot into the net, giving Campbell a 3-0 lead at the 48:44 mark.

Logan Paynter pulled one back for the Bisons in the 55th minute, beating Mozynski on a shot just in front of the goal played to the left post.

Lipscomb cut Campbell's lead to 3-2 with just over 20 minutes remaining in the match. Matt Kerridge cut through a pair of Camel defender and fired a shot to the far post for his first goal of the season.

Mozynski and Campbell's defense held the Bisons off the board for the remainder of the contest, highlighted by a pair of saves in the final 15 minutes. The back line also blocked two shots in the 89th minute, preventing Mozynski from having to make a play on the ball.

"There were times, especially when Lipscomb was able to score, that we could have defended higher," said Fonder. "But the team showed a massive improvement in the win tonight."

Campbell will return to action on Sunday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. as the Camels take on Belmont in their final match of the Belmont Invitational. Sporting a 9-2-0 tally in matchups all-time against the Bruins, Campbell will be facing Belmont for the first time since the 2010 season.

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