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Box Score 2 NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Despite a strong effort on both sides of the ball, the Belmont women's soccer team (2-1) was handed its first loss of the season at home on Sunday afternoon. The Bruins were edged 1-0 by visiting first-time opponent Appalachian State (1-2) at Rose Park.
The matchup was nearly an even battle of wills throughout the 90 minutes. In the first half, each team was only able to fire off one shot due to strong defensive efforts on both sides of the ball. Both squads kept fresh legs on the field but could not gain an advantage in the contest.
In the second stanza, the teams continued their back and forth battle well into the half. In the final 15 minutes, the squads ramped up their intensity in hopes of scoring before the end of regulation. Similar to Friday night, BU had several near misses on scoring opportunities but just barely missed on connecting inside of the box. The Mountaineers attacked the goal in the final seven minutes and used a rebound to squeeze a header into the back of the BU net. The Bruins scrambled in the waning minutes but were unable to find the equalizer goal and were handed their first loss of the season.
Senior Lauren Paynter (Danville, Ky.) led the Bruins with a game-high three shots. Sophomores Elise DeTrude (Carmel, Ind.) and Taylor Smith (Atlanta, Ga.) followed with a pair of shots.
Junior Nicole Berner (Randolph, N.J.) went the distance between the posts in the effort.
"Appalachian State is good team and that's why we wanted to play them," said Head Coach Heather Henson.
"We played as a team, battled on every play and played a complete game the entire time. I am proud of our effort and energy today. If we can play this way for the entire season, we will be successful this seaon."
Belmont returns to action on August 31 at Rose Park. The Bruins host Evansville beginning at 6 pm. Live stats and a live Twitter feed (@BelmontWSoccer) will be available.
