Box Score Murray, Ky. – An early goal from Murray State haunted Belmont women's soccer as they weren't able to recover from the deficit despite outshooting the Racers in a physical second half. The Bruins dropped a 1-0 decision to the conferences top ranked Racers Sunday afternoon at Cutchin Field.
Belmont (5-8-4, 4-4-1 OVC) started the opening minutes looking strong as neither team was willing to give anything up for the first 20 minutes of the match. Murray State (8-4-3, 7-0-2 OVC) soon found a rhythm and stationed themselves in their attacking third for much of the first frame, continually threatening. The Racers eventually found an answer in Taylor Richerson after she found a gap and broke away from the field to create an open look on frame. Richerson ripped the ball to the back left corner of the goal, slipping out of goalkeeper Stephanie Bukovec's (Toronto, Ontario, Canada) reach to put MSU up 1-0 in the 29th minute.
"Murray is a great team, but we didn't come out and play our game plan in the first half," head coach Heather Henson said. "We kind of fell into their rhythm so we weren't generating good looks. We didn't play our style or build our attack like we usually do."
Bukovec made crucial plays in the box for the Bruins, notching six saves before the half. The veteran capitalized on a pair of one-on-one situations to keep the Bruins within striking distance heading into halftime. Bukovec got also assistance from the back line with defenders making multiple stops inside the 18-yard box.
After struggling to find an answer in the first stanza, Belmont made adjustments and placed freshman goalkeeper Lily Herman (Springboro, Ohio) to defend the goal while moving Bukovec forward for the first time this season. Bukovec made an instant impact in Belmont's offensive efforts, connecting on a corner kick form junior defender Heather Ferrari (Duluth, Ga.). The veteran rose above traffic and headed the ball on frame, but Murray State's goalkeeper Alex Steigerwald got her fingertips on the ball to send it over the crossbar and keep her shutout intact.
"We did much better in the second half and made the adjustments," Henson said. "But against a good team you can't not play your style for a half and go down a goal because then you're just chasing the game. I'm proud of our efforts in the second half, but it was hard to get that goal back against a team like Murray."
Making her first appearance in goal during conference play, Herman settled in quickly while facing an aggressive Murray State squad. The rookie ensured that the Racers didn't increase their lead as she laid out and fully extended herself to deflect the ball and keep it from entering the goal. Herman's teammates then stepped in and cleared the ball to hold MSU to one goal.
The resilient Bruins made Murray State work for every ball in the second stanza as they outshot the Racers, 8-6, and controlled the pace throughout a physical final 45 minutes of play. Aside from Bukovec's near goal in the opening minutes of the half, junior midfielder Tara Austin (Beaumont, Texas) and freshman forward MacKenzie Firek (Brentwood, Tenn.) garnered the best looks of the afternoon. As Austin rushed forward, senior midfielder Meg Howard (Brentwood, Tenn.) delivered a beautiful cross to Austin but before the Beaumont, Texas native could get a shot off she was tripped up and the ball dribbled into Steigerwald's hands. On the next play Firek again tested Steigerwald after launching a shot 20-yards out. The rookie's attempt looked clean but was corralled by the keeper to keep the Racers up, 1-0.
Freshman forward Anna Brock Hawkins (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) led the squad with three shots on the afternoon, including Belmont's lone pair of attempts in the first half. Hawkins was accompanied by seven Bruins who each tallied a single shot.
Herman continued her heroics with time winding down. While Murray State was searching to distance themselves, the keeper made a couple more acrobatic saves to help Belmont stay in the goal. She finished the day with three saves in 45 minutes of action.
UP NEXT
The Bruins close our conference play at Jacksonville State on Thursday, Oct. 27 in Jacksonville, Ala. First touch is slated for 7 p.m. at JSU Soccer Field. Belmont will then move on to OVC postseason play Sunday, Oct. 30. Playoff seeding will be announced in the upcoming week.
