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Box Score 2 NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Belmont men's soccer team (6-6-2, 2-1-2) played to a 1-1 double overtime draw against Atlantic Sun Conference leading Jacksonville (7-5-2, 4-0-1) on Sunday afternoon. Sophomore Alex Jenison (Evansville, Ind.) scored his second goal in as many games in the tie.
"It was a very good game between two quality teams," Head Coach Earle Davidson said. "In the first half I thought both teams were excellent, and in the second half I thought both teams were tired. Both squads had chances to win the game, but that's the way it goes sometimes."
Both Belmont and Jacksonville did have their chances in the first half, recording five and six shots, respectively. Unlike the Dolphins, the Bruins were able to capitalize on one of theirs, scoring in the 27th minute to take a 1-0 lead.
Sophomore Nico Olsak (Boca Raton, Fla.) played a beautiful cross into the box from about 40 yards out. Jenison made a run to the right side of the box, found the ball, and headed it past Jacksonville goalkeeper Gavin Carlin. It marked Jenison's fourth score of the season, and his second of the weekend.
"It was a great ball by Nico," Jenison said. "The ball kind of floated as the wind helped us out a bit, and their defenders thought that the keeper was coming out to grab the ball. Fortunately he didn't, I kept running, and was able to put it past him."
The assist marked Olsak's seventh of the season, tying Matt Photivihok for the third best single-season mark in Belmont history. The best ever at BU is eight, recorded by Paulo Boero in 1993 and Olsak himself last season. The sophomore midfielder is also one behind Boero's career assist record at Belmont, notching the 15th of his young career this afternoon.
Shortly after coming out of the halftime break with the 1-0 lead, Belmont gave up a goal to Jacksonville in the 50th minute of play. Darko Karamatic played a ball across the box to Stefan Durr, who controlled it and fired it past junior Lou Manning (Southlake, Texas) and into the back of the net.
The two teams fought long and hard throughout the rest of the game with each squad getting a few chances to come away victorious. In the second game of a conference weekend, both Belmont and Jacksonville ran out of gas on Sunday, leaving with a 1-1 draw after 110 minutes of action.
The Dolphins finished with a 21-8 advantage in shots, but the Bruins had the best opportunity to take a second half lead. Jenison found himself one-v-one with Carlin in the 56th minute, but the goalkeeper got the better of the sophomore and made the save for Jacksonville. Carlin and Manning each tallied four saves in the contest.
After a solid A-Sun weekend, picking up four points against North Florida and Jacksonville, Belmont will next head on the road for the final time this regular season. The Bruins will play at Stetson on Friday, October 21 at 6:00 p.m., and then at FGCU on Sunday, October 23 at 12:00 p.m.
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