Box Score NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Belmont women's soccer team (7-7-1, 4-3-1 A-Sun) picked up a crucial shutout on Friday night at home. The Bruins defeated visiting Stetson (3-11-2, 2-5-1 A-Sun), 1-0, to secure no worse than the No. 5 seed in the upcoming Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament.
BU earned a pair of trio kicks in the fifth minute of action and freshman Allie Hicks (Carmel, Ind.) fired a shot toward the Stetson goal that was blocked by a defender. The Hatters answered quickly but their attempt flew too high and bounced off the crossbar. Belmont began keeping fresh legs on the field through a series of substitutions from its deep bench. The influx of new energy kept the momentum swinging in BU's favor through the remainder of the half. Junior Vanessa Pepin (Melbourne Beach, Fla.) notched the final shot of the half before the teams headed into the locker rooms locked in the 0-0 stalemate.
After the scoreless first stanza, the Bruins immediately attacked the Hatter goal to open the second half. Less than three minutes in, BU was red hot with shots coming from seniors Dani Stolt (Morris Plains, N.J.) and Alex Morgado (Suwanee, Ga.) and freshman Rachel Schmidt (Dallas, Texas). Stolt was able to find the back of the net during the offensive barrage, netting her third goal of the season after receiving a pass up the middle from Schmidt. BU was masterful in its use of the clock for the remainder of the contest. The Bruins even had several opportunities late to add to their point tally including a trio of just wide shots from junior Lauren Paynter (Danville, Ky.) and sophomore Amy Jo Anderson (Birmingham, Ala.) that brought fans to their feet. However, BU was able to lean on strong defense and a complete team effort to keep the ball away from Stetson down the stretch to hold on for the 1-0 victory.
Stolt finished with a game-high five shots, followed by Paynter, who recorded three. Sophomore netminder Nicole Berner (Randolph, N.J.) wrapped the night with five saves.
Belmont held the advantage in shots, 16-9, and corner kicks, 6-1.
"Those were an important three points we got tonight," said Head Coach Heather Henson. "I am so proud of our effort. It was a total team effort out there."
Belmont returns to action for its season finale on Sunday afternoon at Rose Park. The Bruins host FGCU beginning at 12:05 p.m. Prior to kickoff, the team will honor its senior class of Ashley Hudak, Sari Lin, Jamie Loftis, Morgan McBride, Alex Morgado, Dani Stolt and Gretchen Sutch.
A victory or a tie versus FGCU would secure a No. 4 seed for the Bruins, and a tournament opening round home match next Saturday against North Florida.
