Box Score EVANSVILLE, Ind. -- For a second consecutive contest, the Belmont women's soccer team (1-3-1) battled into extra periods before a decision was made. The Bruins fought to a 0-0 double overtime stalemate at Evansville (1-5-1) on Friday night.
From the opening whistle, the teams traded shots on the hunt for an immediate scoring opportunity. Finally emerging from the back and forth battle, the Purple Aces made a move around the 28th minute. Hoping to build on a corner kick, UE fired back-to-back shots at the Bruin goal. However, the quick hands of junior netminder Stephanie Bukovec (Toronto, Ontario, Canada) halted both attempts. Evansville kept shooting for the remainder of the half but each went wide. The teams headed into the break locked in a 0-0 tie.
After halftime, UE wasted little time again, using another corner kick to get into scoring position in just the first minute. However, Bukovec remained steady between the posts and refused to give up ground. Senior Sydney Omweg (Yorktown, Va.) had an opportunity to find the back of the net with a header attempt in the 52nd minute but her ball went wide right. The Bruins continued to fight in the waning minutes of regulation as the back and forth battle resumed.
In the first overtime period, Bukovec continued to prove her mettle between the posts. Five minutes in, Evansville went into high gear, notching two corners and two on-goal headers in the span of 45 seconds. BU withstood the onslaught but was unable to fire back during the period.
Belmont ramped up its attack in the final overtime, notching a pair of shots on goal in the first 90 seconds courtesy of freshman Allie Svoboda (Lisle, Ill.) and sophomore Heather Ferrari (Duluth, Ga.). Unfortunately, neither was able to break the stalemate on the scoreboard. The Purple Aces made one final attempt to get on the board in the 108th minute but the shot went wide right. The teams were forced to settle for their first double overtime tie of the season after 110 minutes.
"Tonight was an exciting game to watch. Evansville is a good team and a good match up for us," said Head Coach Heather Henson. "The ladies were organized defensively and kept possession of the ball well.
"I am so proud of the efforts of all the ladies and the discipline on both sides of the ball they exhibited tonight."
Evansville held the advantage in shots, 18-6, and corner kicks, 9-4.
Six different Bruins each recorded a shot in the road effort.
Bukovec tallied five saves on the night while earning her second shutout of the season.
Belmont returns to action on Sunday with an afternoon tilt at first-time opponent Tennessee. Live stats will be available and the contest can be seen live on ESPN3 and the SEC Network.
