NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Belmont women's soccer team (2-4-1, 0-0 OVC) opens its second season of Ohio Valley Conference play this week. The Bruins host Eastern Illinois (0-9, 0-0 OVC) on Friday afternoon before traveling to SIUE (6-1-2, 0-0 OVC) for a tilt on Sunday.
Eastern Illinois comes to Nashville looking to post their first win of the 2013 season, dropping nine consecutive matches.
The Panthers are led in scoring by Madison Carter and Hannah Miller, who have each netted one goal. Between the posts, a trio share responsibility - Cortney Jerzy, Kylie Morgan and Emily Hinton. The three have combined for 57 saves.
This will mark only the fourth meeting between the programs, with EIU leading 2-1 after the last meeting one year ago in Charleston. The Panthers edged the Bruins, 2-1, in overtime.
SIUE stands atop the OVC heading into this weekend's contests, boasting a 6-1-2 mark. The Cougars have not lost since their opening match back on August 23 and have gone 2-0-1 in their last three games.
SIUE is led in scoring by Kayla Delgado, who has netted six goals. Cassidy Sherman follows with three. Inside the net, Jennifer Pelley has logged over 861 minutes and boasts a league-leading 0.42 GAA with 34 saves.
BU won the first meeting between the programs last season, a 2-1 overtime victory in Nashville.
Belmont enters this first weekend of OVC action with a 2-4-1 mark, after earning its first double overtime draw last week against Western Kentucky.
The Bruins are led in scoring by junior Allie Hicks (Carmel, Ind.), who has tallied two goals so far this season. Sophomore Cassie Blase (Waukesha, Wisc.) leads the team in shots with a total of 18.
Between the posts, senior Nicole Berner (Randolph, N.J.) has logged over 615 minutes and has collected 32 saves. Among all NCAA Division I goalkeepers, Berner now stands 114th in saves per game and 165th in total saves.
One year ago in its first year in the OVC, the Bruins went 0-1-1 on their conference opening weekend.
Friday's matchup is slated to begin at 4 p.m. The match can be seen live on the OVC Digital Network and live stats will be available. A live Twitter feed (@BelmontWSoccer) will also be available. Sunday's tilt at SIUE is set to begin at 1 p.m. and can be seen on the OVC Digital Network.
