Box Score
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Belmont women's soccer erupts for three goals in the final minutes of the match to roll past Jacksonville State, 4-1, Sunday afternoon at E.S. Rose Park. Senior forward Belicia Mendiola (McKinney, Texas) was the unsung hero of the match, contributing to every score with two goals and a pair of assists.
The Bruins (7-4-1, 3-2-0 OVC) controlled the tempo of the match from start to finish, only allowing the Gamecocks (4-7-2, 1-4-0 OVC) to get off six shots. The squad continued its trend of scoring multiple goals en route to a victory as they've done in all seven of their wins this season.
Junior Jessi Boozer (Brentwood, Tenn.) got things going in the 20th when she met the service of Mendiola's corner with her head to give Belmont the early advantage. The Bruins continued to find themselves within inches of doubling their lead in the next ten minutes as they sent a trio of shots that grazed the wrong side of the left post to keep their tally to just one.
Jacksonville State would see the ball into the back of the net only when play was halted after Belmont was called for a handball inside the box resulting in a Gamecock penalty kick. Claire Peterson took full advantage of the opportunity as she snuck one past goalkeeper Lily Herman (Springboro, Ohio) in the 40th minute to knot the game up, 1-1, heading into halftime.
While BU came out of the locker room fired up, it wouldn't be able to convert on its first nine shots of the stanza. It wasn't until there were only 12 minutes left in the match that the squad would come alive. Mendiola initiated the movement after juggling the ball a few times and sending it past JSU keeper Caroline Robinson with her left foot to secure the game-winning goal.
From then on the Bruins couldn't be stopped as sophomore Niki Clements (Perkasie, Pa.) netted her first career goal two minutes later on an assist by none other than Mendiola who delivered a perfectly placed cross to the forward. The McKinney, Texas product then put the cherry on top with only one minute remaining, capitalizing on a misplayed ball to the keeper and tapping in BU's fourth goal.
Mendiola has scored eight times this season, tying her single season best from her rookie campaign. After her third multi-goal match of the season Mendiola now sits third all-time in career goals with 21.
Belmont finished the afternoon with 27 shots while only allowing the Gamecocks to tally one in the entire second stanza.
