Box Score COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – A slow start was too much for Belmont women's soccer to overcome during Sunday's match against Tennessee Tech. The Bruins fell to the Golden Eagles, 2-0, on a pair of strung out goals at the Tech Soccer Field.
The evening match proved to be a defensive battle between the two squads. The teams combined for just one corner and only a pair of shots on goal, all of which fell in favor of the Golden Eagles, until the final ten minutes of the match.
TTU came out aggressive, putting senior goalkeeper Stephanie Bukovec (Toronto, Ontario, Canada) to work right away. The Golden Eagles struck first when Katie Shipley found the back of the net in the 38th minute to secure a 1-0 advantage heading into halftime.
Belmont struggled to create looks early on as the squad only got one shot off in the first half. Freshman midfielder Grace Whalen (Lexington, Ky.) constructed the lone attempt but the ball went high, keeping BU from finding the equalizer in the 40th minute.
The second half proved to feature a rejuvenated BU squad that released nine shots and held TTU to just three attempts. Belmont went on to outshoot Tennessee Tech, 10-9, but still had a hard time getting the ball on frame. Junior forward Belicia Mendiola (McKinney, Texas) got the Bruins offense going coming out of the locker room as she launched the ball 25 yards out, but couldn't find its way on frame.
Senior defender Brittany Coca (Riverview, Fla.) was the only Bruin to get a shot on goal after she sent a long ball soaring into the 6-yard box forcing TTU's goalkeeper, Kari Naerdemann, to collect a save to keep the shutout intact.
Tennessee Tech doubled its advantage, 2-0, in the 80th minute on an own goal.
The Bruins never let up, even as time was expiring. Freshman midfielder MacKenzie Firek (Brentwood, Tenn.) tapped the ball out of Naerdemann's hands with her head to regain possession of the ball with less than two minutes showing on the clock. Firek was then fouled just outside of the 18-yard box, giving Belmont a free kick 20-yards out. Freshman forward Kameron Ziesig (Brentwood, Tenn.) took the shot but he ball nearly missed wide right as TTU claimed its fifth shutout of the season.
Mendiola and Ziesig were the only Bruins to collect multiple shots with three apiece.
Belmont will be back in action next Friday, Sept. 30, as they host SIUE at Rose Park. Kickoff is slated for 4 p.m. CT.
