Despite Strong Effort, Women's Soccer Held Off by Campbell
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Despite another strong effort on both sides of the ball, the Belmont women's soccer team (3-8, 2-3 A-Sun) was unable to find the back of the net on Thursday night at the Whitten Soccer Complex. The Bruins saw their two match win streak snapped by visiting Campbell (5-7-1, 2-3 A-Sun) falling, 1-0, in regulation.
For the opening 10 minutes, the Bruins clearly had control of the matchup and quickly penetrated Campbell territory. In the first five minutes, senior Erica Carter (Spring, Texas) notched back-to-back shots that went just wide. Belmont continued to dominate ball possession and pace but was unable to capitalize on a couple of scoring opportunities. However, the BU defense remained strong and consistently broke up numerous CU passes with throughout the midfield as the game progressed. At the 2:45 mark, BU made a great move toward the Camel goal and long serve just barely missed the awaiting head of sophomore Jane Owen Robbins (Ridgeland, Miss.) inside the box.
Despite Campbell opening the second stanza with more aggression, notching back-to-back corner kicks in the first four minutes, the Bruins remained tenacious on defense and allowed nothing through. After a pair of corner kicks from Lauren Paynter (Danville, Ky.) in the 52nd minute, Belmont rode the wave of momentum and saw hot footed shots from Rix and sophomore Megan Rock (Madison, Miss.) just barely skim the crossbar. It appeared that a goal was just in reach but a rocket from senior Jayme Trocino (Franklin, Tenn.) was stopped by CU netminder Ryann Torrero. A beautiful header from sophomore Laura Harris (Macon, Ga.) just missed sliding in at the top of the net bounced off the crossbar three minutes later.
The Bruins kept the pressure up but it was Campbell who would find the back of the net first. In the 67th minute, Caitlin Schneider used a rebound in the box from a punched away ball by Belmont goalkeeper Nicole Berner (Randolph, N.J.) to sneak it into the upper right corner. Rather than take the wind of out of the sails of the Bruins, the deficit seemed to energize the team as it went on another shooting spree. Unfortunately, attempts from seniors Marcela Sanchez (Hendersonville, Tenn.) and Lydia Wright (Franklin, Tenn.) and Robbins sailed over the crossbar by the 75th minute. Six minutes later, Carter fired a shot that kissed the crossbar before bouncing over the goal. BU spent the last seven and a half minutes of regulation on full throttle, earning a corner kick in the final 38 seconds. However, time was not on their side as Campbell was able to hold for the 1-0 victory. It was the first time in five years the Camels defeated a Belmont team.
"I can't say we didn't have our chances," said Head Coach Lisa Howe. "We had a high percentage of chances to score. We just didn't put it away."
"We just need to create better chances to get a result. We will just keep working."
The Bruins dominated in shots, 16-8, and held the advantage in corner kicks, 8-5.
Harris led BU's offensive effort with four shots. Seniors Carter and Trocino each added three shots while Robbins recorded a pair.
Berner went the distance between the posts, finishing with one save on the night.
Belmont returns to action on Friday, October 8 at Whitten Soccer Complex. The Bruins host Jacksonville beginning at 6:30 p.m. Live stats will be available.
