Box Score CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Belmont women's soccer battled but couldn't overcome a pair of second half goals from Austin Peay, dropping a 2-0 decision Friday evening at Morgan Brothers Soccer Field.
The Bruins (5-7-4, 4-3-1 OVC) came out firing in the opening minutes of the match, releasing seven of its 10 shots in the first half. The Governors (9-6-2, 4-2-2 OVC) regained composure and held possession of the ball for a majority of the remainder of the match, outshooting Belmont 11-10 with help from two scoring efforts.
Junior forward Belicia Mendiola (McKinney, Texas) collected Belmont's best look of the match as she fired a shot to the upper left corner of the frame looking to put the Bruins on the board early. Before Mendiola's shot could find the back of the net an APSU defender stepped in the way and collected a team save to hold the Bruins scoreless after 20 minutes of play.
Belmont continued to find ways to construct great looks throughout the first stanza, launching five of its seven shots on goal. Despite finding the frame, the squad couldn't manage to get past Austin Peay's keeper Lindsey Todd, who continued to disrupt BU's offense.
Their defense was tested a few times in the first frame, but the team continued to deny Austin Peay each time they attempted to get a shot off. Senior goalkeeper Stephanie Bukovec (Toronto, Ontario, Canada) made a couple of diving saves to keep the scoreless first half intact. A Governor found a rare open look at the goal in the 15th minute, but Bukovec stretched out and deflected the ball, leaving it to sophomore defender Sarah Bossung (Nashville, Tenn.) to clear it before APSU could capitalize, leaving the match knotted up, 0-0, with time expiring in the first half.
Austin Peay was the first of Belmont's last six opponents to find the back of the net after Morgan Jackson evaded the Bruins defense and won a one-on-one situation with Bukovec. The Bruins kept the Governors from striking in traffic, but Kirstin Robertson was able to find Jackson out in the open to put APSU up 1-0 in the 50th minute.
The Bruins struggled to gain control after halftime, failing to get a shot off in the first 25 minutes. While BU couldn't seem to find a rhythm, APSU continued to strike in its attacking third to put Belmont's defense to test. Freshman forward Kameron Ziesig (Brentwood, Tenn.) came off the bench and worked to ignite the Bruins offense, launching their first pair of attempts in the second half, but couldn't convert leaving the Governors with a 1-0 advantage.
With less than four minutes left on the clock Austin Peay doubled its advantage with an insurance goal from Gina Fabro to defeat the Bruins 2-0.
Freshman forward MacKenzie Firek (Brentwood, Tenn.) led the team with three shots, getting all three on goal. Three other Bruins tallied a shot on the evening.
UP NEXT
Belmont will make the trek to Murray State on Sunday, Oct. 23. First touch is scheduled for 2 p.m. at Cutchin Field.
