Mastodons Open 2022 in the Music City

FORT WAYNE, Ind. - The 2022 regular season starts this week with a visit to Nashville. The Mastodons will play Lipscomb on Thursday (Aug. 25) and Belmont on Sunday (Aug. 28).

Game Day Information
Who: Lipscomb
When: Thursday, August 25 | 8 p.m. ET
Where: Nashville, Tenn. | Lipscomb Soccer Complex
Watch: YouTube
Live Stats: Link
About The Bison: Lipscomb was picked to finish first in the Atlantic Sun after winning the regular season and tournament last season. Junior Tyrese Spicer was tabbed the Preseason Player of the Year. Senior Noah Gulden was unanimously voted the Preseason Defensive Player of the Year and senior Michael Sibley was named the Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year.
All-Time Record: The 'Dons are 1-0-1 all-time against Lipscomb. This includes a 6-1 neutral site victory at Green Bay in 2004 and a 2-2 tie in Nashville in 2011.

Game Day Information
Who: Belmont
When: Sunday, August 28 | 3 p.m. ET
Where: Nashville, Tenn. | E.S. Rose Park
Watch: ESPN+
Live Stats: Link
About The Bruins: The Bruins were 13-5-1 last season, falling to Mercer in the Southern Conference Championship title match. Belmont was picked second in the Missouri Valley, the Bruins' first season in the league.
All-Time Record: The 'Dons are 1-1-0 all-time against Belmont. This includes a 4-0 loss in 2011 in Nashville and a 2-1 win in Fort Wayne.

Volunteer State of Mind
This is the Mastodons' first visit to the state of Tennessee since playing the same Lipscomb and Belmont squads in 2011.

Hello Newbies
The 2022 Mastodon roster features 14 newcomers.

Hello, Again
Alex Frank is not a returner from last year's squad but is also not new. Don't worry, we'll explain. He played for the 'Dons in 2018 in 2019, picking up All-Summit League Second Team honors as a sophomore with a team-high five goals. He then transferred to UTRGV where he played the last two years and earned a degree in economics. He has now returned to the Mastodons.

Be Aware!
In the newest rule changes from the NCAA, overtime will no longer be played in the regular season. Overtime will only be played in postseason games, and will no longer be golden goal, meaning both 10-minute overtime periods will be played to completion.

D D D Defense
The Mastodons put together a 1.27 goals against average last season, the best in the program history for a Division I season.

Final Line of Defense
Goalkeeper Danny Salazar returns for the 'Dons this season. Last season he put together a 0.59 goals against average over 460 minutes in six games. He saw the majority of time down the stretch of the season and put together a 2-1-2 record with shutouts of UIC, Green Bay and IUPUI.

Up Next
The 'Dons host Western Illinois on Sept. 2 in a 3 p.m. start at Hefner.

~ Feel The Rumble ~

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Alex Frank

Danny Salazar

Purdue University Fort Wayne Athletics