Box Score NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Using stellar defense for a second consecutive contest, the Belmont women's soccer team (8-7-1, 5-3-1 A-Sun) pulled off an upset of Atlantic Sun Tournament top seed Florida Gulf Coast (12-4-2, 7-1-1 A-Sun) on Sunday afternoon at Rose Park. The Bruins shutout the Eagles, 1-0, snapping a 20-game win streak and handing them their first conference loss since 2009. With the win, BU, clinched the No. 4 seed, will host a quarterfinal game of the 2011 Atlantic Sun Tournament on Saturday at home.
The Bruins opened the first stanza fast and furious, notching a pair of shots courtesy of sophomore Amy Jo Anderson (Birmingham, Ala.) and freshman Allie Hicks (Carmel, Ind.) in the first five minutes of action. BU then leaned on the defensive momentum it started two days ago to keep the Eagles from getting into scoring position even when deep in Belmont territory. Senior Sari Lin (Carefree, Ariz.) grabbed three crucial saves midway through the half from the hot foot of Gina Petracco. Suddenly, the Bruins made their move through the midfield in the 36th minute, using a punt from Lin to feed the ball to junior Spencer Laufer (Houston, Texas). She was able to beat a pair of defenders and take on FGCU goalkeeper Stephanie Powers, becoming the first A-Sun player to score against her this season. Belmont went on to use the clock effectively during the waning minutes and Lin came up with a big save t the 42:32 mark to help the Bruins take the 1-0 advantage into the break.
FGCU opened the second half hot, firing two shots at senior Ashley Hudak (Reynoldsburg, Ohio) who grabbed her first saves of the season. Despite the ramp up in action from the Eagles, Belmont remained calm and steady in its defensive effort. BU broke up numerous passes and crosses to prevent Florida Gulf Coast from establishing a rhythm through the middle of the half. Both teams continued to cycle fresh legs on the field as BU stuck to its game plan. Beginning in the 81st minute, FGCU made its final moves to find the equalizer. Melissa Arnold served a ball toward the BU net that sophomore Nicole Berner (Randolph, N.J.) had to dive to stop. The ball ricocheted off her gloves and Petracco fired the loose ball toward the net again but a Bruin defender blocked the attempt. Five minutes later, Berner would record what would be the last save of the afternoon, allowing her teammates to play keep away for the final four minutes to hold on for the 1-0 victory.
Belmont's win snapped several streaks for FGCU, including a 20-game conference win streak and a nine-game shutout streak dating back to September 18. The win is only the second for BU over the Eagles, with the first coming in 2009.
Hicks led the Bruins offensively with two shots on the day, followed by Anderson, Laufer, junior Laura Harris (Macon, Ga.) and sophomore Emily Jones (Cleveland, Tenn.).
"Today was a true team effort," said Head Coach Heather Henson. "We always come out energized for our senior game and we played as a team. To play that way against a team like Florida Gulf Coast, who is very well coached, says a lot. I am very proud of our team."
FGCU held the advantage in shots, 19-6 and corner kicks, 2-1.
Belmont returns to action on Saturday, October 29 in the quarterfinals of the 2011 Atlantic Sun Tournament. The Bruins will face off against No. 5 North Florida. Game time is to be determined and will be posted on www.belmontbruins.com when the information becomes available.
