NASHVILLE, Tenn. --- Ali Al-Gashamy (Kristiansand, Norway) scored his first goal of the season, and junior Nathan Rose (Bristol, England) picked up his first career assist on a strike by Denzel Clarke (Atlanta, Ga.), as Lipscomb rallied for a narrow 3-2 victory over Gardner-Webb in the opening match of the Belmont Invitational.

Lipscomb (4-0) outshot Gardner-Webb (1-3) by a 19-9 margin in the match, including a 9-3 advantage in the first half, while striking back from an early 1-0 deficit with two quick goals late in the opening period. The Runnin' Bulldogs attempted nine corners to Lipscomb's three in the contest.

Al-Gashamy paced the Runnin' Bulldog attack with one goal on three shots, including two on frame, as Clarke struck on his only attempt of the match. Rose added his first career assist on Clarke's first-half strike, while Matthew Swan (Newport, South Wales, United Kingdom) made seven saves.

Luke Gearin, Matt Kerridge, and Josue Chavez each found the back of the net on the night for Lipscomb, as Robbie Johnson and Reece Holcombe both tallied an assist. Holcombe and Kerridge each took four shots, while Micah Bledsoe made two saves.

Al-Gashamy got the Runnin' Bulldogs off to a flying start in the eighth minute, taking a pass from Jerome Roche (Salon-de-Provence, France) on the left side of the area and slotting the finish into the side netting to give Gardner-Webb a 1-0 lead.

Lipscomb hit back in the 20th minute, leveling the match at 1-1 after Chavez finished a Holcombe free kick that was nodded down by Johnson. The Bisons snatched a 2-1 advantage early in the 34th minute, when Kerridge pounced on a loss ball off a corner and slotted home from close range.

Clarke and the Runnin' Bulldogs evened the tally three minutes later, sending the match into the interval deadlocked at 2-2 after he turned in finished off a feed from Rose.

Lipscomb answered once again in the 66th minute, grabbing a 3-2 lead when Gearin converted from the spot following a foul in the area by Gardner-Webb. The Runnin' Bulldogs had a pair of late chances to equalize but it was not to be, as Al-Gashamy's 80th-minute effort was parried away by Bledsoe before Roche had an attempt blocked on the cusp of the 89th.

Gardner-Webb returns to action on Sunday when the Runnin' Bulldogs close out the Belmont Invitational against host Belmont at 3:30 p.m. ET in Nashville, Tenn.