Women's Soccer Pushes Past Lipscomb in Battle of the Boulevard Exhibition
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Belmont women's soccer team (0-0) notched a come from behind win over former conference rival Lipscomb (0-0) in an exhibition version of the annual Battle of the Boulevard on Friday night at E.S. Rose Park. The Bruins netted a pair of goals midway through the second half to defeat the Bisons, 2-1.
Lipscomb opened the matchup with a tremendous amount of energy and defensive effort, recording a shot on goal in the first two minutes of regulation. The Bruins were able to settle into a rhythm and returned the favor behind a corner kick by senior Lauren Paynter (Danville, Ky.) that opened the door for a shot on goal by classmate Laura Harris (Macon, Ga.) in the ninth minute. Belmont then took control of the remainder of the half, taking full of advanage of being able to keep fresh legs on the field.
By the end of the stanza, the Bruins had tallied seven shots including two attempts by senior Kailee Hawkins (Raleigh, N.C.) and one each from sophomores Allie Hicks (Dallas, Texas) and Rachel Schmidt (Dallas, Texas), freshman Emily Epley (Goshen, Ky.) and newcomer Kim Elmore (Salem, Va.), but none were able to find the back of the net.
In the second stanza, the Bisons came out charging again and were able to pick up the first goal of the night just one minute into regulation on a breakaway by Baylee Linnell. However, the Bruins were down but not out and answered with a goal of their own barely 90 seconds later. Sophomore Taylor Smith (Atlanta, Ga.) found the back of the net with the assist going to rookie Sydney Scheben (Union, Ky.).
With the score knotted at 1-1, the teams battled for control of the ball. BU quickly won the battle and was able to keep forcing the ball deep into Lipscomb territory for the majority of the half. After several near misses, including a header by Harris that brought the Bruin fans to their feet, she was able to score what would become the winning goal after a corner kick by Paynter with five minutes left on the clock. Belmont turned on the defensive afterburners and was able to easily hold out for the victory.
Junior Nicole Berner (Randolph, N.J.) and freshman Lindsey Espe (LaCanada, Calif.) split time in between the posts, combining for four saves.
Hawkins and Harris led the Bruins with two shots apiece. Elmore, Smith, Paynter, Schmidt, Hicks, Epley and freshmen Rachel Dill (Carmel, Ind.) and Cassie Blase (Waukesha, Wisc.) each recorded one shot.
Belmont returns to action on Sunday for its final exhibition game. The Bruins travel to Alabama A&M for a match set to begin at 2 p.m.
