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Box Score 2 NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Belmont women's soccer team (4-4-1, 0-0-1 OVC) was pushed into extra minutes to decide its first matchup against an OVC opponent on Friday night at Rose Park. The Bruins battled Eastern Kentucky (5-4-2, 1-0-1 OVC) to an exciting 1-1 double overtime stalemate.
The Colonels opened the contest aggressively and it would be nearly 15 minutes before the Bruins settled in for the matchup. During the span, EKU picked up three corner kicks and five shots. It would not be until 19 minutes remained in the half that junior Katie Proud (Knoxville, Tenn.) and sophomore Taylor Smith (Atlanta, Ga.) would notch BU's first shots of the night.
With the ice finally broken, the Bruins sprung into action in the final 10 minutes of the half. A pair of corner kicks by sophomore Elise DeTrude (Carmel, Ind.) opened the door for shots by senior Laura Harris (Macon, Ga.) and junior Amy Jo Anderson (Birmingham, Ala.). Despite their strong efforts, neither team was to find the back of the net in the first stanza.
After the break, both teams immediately went to work to be the first to score. Ten minutes in, the Bruins intensified their attack on the EKU goal and hustled to find themselves in scoring positions several times over the next six minutes. Finally, senior Brandi Phillips (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) capitalized on a well-placed corner kick by senior Lauren Paynter (Danville, Ky.), using a richocheted ball deep in the box to give Belmont its lone goal of the night.
The teams slipped into a back and forth battle for nearly the remainder of the half until the Colonels were able to net the equalizer with just under 12 minutes left on the clock. The match's intensity level was racheted up even higher as both teams focused on netting the gamewinner. However, neither would be successful in their attempts and the contest was forced into its first overtime period.
The first overtime stretch saw BU explode near the three minute mark but shots by sophomores Allison Alcott (Dallas, Texas) and Rachel Schmidt (Dallas, Texas) fell just short.
With both teams watching the clock in the second overtime period, it was again Belmont who would be the aggressor, unleashing three shots off corner kicks in less than two and a half minutes. Even as time ticked down to its final 60 seconds, Belmont did not give up hope of scoring the winning goal. Sophomore Kim Elmore (Salem, Va.) notched two near misses as time expired but it would be not enough to break the scoring stalemate.
Phillips netted Belmont's goal, her first of the season. Sophomores Rachel Schmidt (Dallas, Texas) and Allison Alcott (Dallas, Texas) would lead BU in shots, recording four apiece.
Junior goalkeeper Nicole Berner (Randolph, N.J.) finished with nine saves.
EKU held the narrow advantage in shots, 23-20, while Belmont held the advantage in corner kicks, 6-4.
The Bruins return to action on Sunday afternoon at Rose Park, wrapping their first weekend of OVC competition. Belmont hosts Morehead State beginning at 2 p.m. The contest can be seen for free via the internet on the OVC Digital Network. Live stats will also be available. Sunday's contest will also be another Kick for a Cure in partnership with the Nashville affiliate of Susan G. Komen for a Cure designated event for BU.
