NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Belmont women’s soccer team concluded its first weekend of the 2007 season with a shutout over visiting Middle Tennessee State on Sunday afternoon. The Bruins took the match 1-0 in double overtime. The victory marked BU’s first win over the Blue Raiders since 2000.

The intensity and speed of the two teams was matched for much of the first half. A rebound shot by Nenita Burgess in the 13th minute was stopped right in front of the net in the box by senior goalkeeper Micaela Crowley (Hoover, Ala.). The strong defensive effort by both teams forced the majority of the action toward the middle of the field.

The Blue Raiders out shot the Bruins 5-0 in the first half but a few ill-timed touches turned passes into crosses for both squads.

The second half saw the Bruins jump into action right away with senior Kari Lennon (Hoover, Ala.) notching the team’s first shot of the match in the first few seconds after the whistle. However, MTSU evened the pace and the teams continued their back and forth struggle in the midfield.

In the 81st minute, freshman Erica Carter (Spring, Texas) dribbled all the way into the box and set up a cross that just barely missed the awaiting feet of sophomore Elizabeth Bublis (Norman, Okla.) right in front of the net. Things heated up offensively in the last minute of regulation. BU was awarded a free kick that was nearly knocked in by Lennon. The following corner kick by sophomore Annie Musacchio (Nashville, Tenn.) in the last 10 seconds of the second half fell just short of another scoring opportunity for Belmont.

In the first overtime period, neither team was able to get into an effective scoring position. The teams only combined for a total of three shots during the 10 minute period.

At the beginning of the second overtime, Belmont looked like it was about to take the sudden death victory when Lennon passed a ball down the left side right to Bublis who was inside the box. However, Bublis’ attempt flew high over the crossbar to a chorus of loud groans from the Bruin faithful. Finally, in the 105th minute of play, Carter intercepted a pass from classmate Ivy Bentley (Huntsville, Ala.). MTSU keeper Kela Casiple was drawn out of the goal and Carter’s ball bounced into the back of the net to give BU the 1-0 win.

The Blue Raiders held the advantage in shots, 14-6, but the Bruins held a narrow advantage in corner kicks, 4-3. Belmont’s goalkeepers finished with eight saves on the day.

“At this stage, this is a huge step up for us, a huge victory. I have a lot of respect for MTSU and their offensive effort. Their defenders did a great job,” said Head Coach Lisa Howe.

“Today we showed a lot of depth, kept running our numbers and bringing in fresh legs. I am proud of the girls. They adapted well as we went along throughout the game. It was a much better performance than opening night.”

The Bruins return to action on Friday, September 7th as they host Arkansas-Little Rock at the Whitten Soccer Complex. Game time is set for 6:30 p.m.