Box Score NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Despite a strong offensive effort, the Belmont women's soccer team (3-3-2) was unable to find the back of the net and rebound against visiting Evansville (6-3-2) on Friday afternoon. The Bruins were held off by the Purple Aces, 2-0, in their non-conference finale.
In the first half, UE pushed against a stringent Bruin defense to find a way to score in the 16th minute off a corner kick. Belmont didn't falter in the face of the deficit and ramped up its intensity on the hunt for the equalizer for the remainder of the half. With 13 minutes left on the clock, BU earned a free kick off a midfield foul. Freshman Belicia Mendiola (McKinney, Texas) fired at the goal but her attempt, one of the team's best of the half, was blocked in the box enabling the Purple Aces to carry their 1-0 advanage into the locker room.
Belmont carried its aggressive level of play into the second stanza with seniors Alison Alcott (Dallas, Texas) and Elise DeTrude (Carmel, Ind.) notching back to back shots on goal in the first three and a half minutes. Ten minutes later, another BU offensive flurry, including a rocket by junior Emily Proud (Knoxville, Tenn.) that had to be punched into the crossbar to be stopped from crossing the goal line, fell just shy of producing a goal. Evansville answered back with an insurance goal in the 74th minute and then used the clock to its advantage for the waning minutes to hold on for the win.
Belmont held the advantage in shots, 13-2, while Evansville led in corner kicks, 5-2, scoring off of two of them.
Junior Emily Proud (Knoxville, Tenn.) led BU with three shots, followed by senior Taylor Smith (Atlanta, Ga.) and freshman Tara Austin (Beaumont, Texas) with two apiece.
Between the posts, senior Megan Byrd (Gurnee, Ill.) and junior Lindsey Espe (LaCanada, Calif.) split time. Espe finished the contest with two saves.
Belmont returns to action on Friday, September 26 at E.S. Rose Park for its OVC home opener. The Bruins host Morehead State beginning at 4 p.m. Video and live stats will be available. A live, in-game Twitter feed (@BelmontWSoccer) will also be available.
