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Box Score 2 BOWLING GREEN, Ky. -- The Belmont women's soccer team (4-4) was unable to hold off an aggressive Western Kentucky squad (5-3) on Saturday night for the last leg of a three-game road stretch. The Bruins were held off, 1-0, by the Lady Toppers.
WKU attacked the BU goal early and often, forcing junior Nicole Berner (Randolph, N.J.) to earn her first save barely two minutes into the contest. The Lady Toppers kept Belmont on its heels on both sides of the ball until freshman Rachel Dill (Carmel, Ind.) notched the team's first shot of the night in the 27th minute. The Bruins kept fresh legs on the field for the remainder of the half in hopes of finding an answer but 10 minutes later, WKU netted what would be the lone goal of the matchup.
In the second half, the Bruins opened more aggressively with sophomore Taylor Smith (Atlanta, Ga.) fired a shot just 70 seconds in. However, WKU was able to regain control of the contest and began again its nearly relentless attack on the BU goal. Berner and the Bruin defense had their hands full but managed to stay off several close calls. Belmont made its final attempt to find an equalizer goal around the 83rd minute. Senior Lauren Paynter (Danville, Ky.) booted back-to-back corner kicks but the Bruins were unable to capitalize on the opportunities in the waning minutes.
Juniors Katie Proud (Knoxville, Tenn.) and Kim Elmore (Salem, Va.), sophomores Allie Hicks (Carmel, Ind.) and Smith, and Dill each recorded one shot.
Berner went the distance between the posts, logging 13 saves on the night.
WKU held the advantage in shots, 26-5, and corner kicks, 5-2.
Belmont returns to action on Friday, September 28 at Rose Park. The Bruins will host Eastern Kentucky for their first official Ohio Valley Conference matchup. The contest is slated for 6 p.m. and will serve as the team's annual Kick for a Cure match in a partnership with the Nashville affiliate of Susan G. Komen for a Cure.
