Box Score
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Belmont women's soccer showed grit and determination in Friday night's season opener against Middle Tennessee at E.S. Rose Park. The Bruins struggled to get past a stubborn Blue Raider squad up until the final three minutes of the match when junior midfielder Jessi Boozer (Brentwood, Tenn.) sent in the game-winning goal to lift BU past MTSU, 3-2.
Both squads battled back and forth for much of the game, but it was all Belmont in the final minutes. Trailing 2-1 after the first half, the Bruins turned it on and netted a pair of unanswered goals to sneak past the Blue Raiders. Freshman forward Julie Garst (Franklin, Tenn.) struck first in the 50th minute after finding open ground and sliding in a shot past the MTSU goalkeeper to tie it up, 2-2. They then utilized back-to-back corner kicks to secure the victory as Boozer found the back of the net on an assist from senior midfielder Tara Austin (Beaumont, Texas) who corralled the ball off the second corner.
While the Bruins finished on top, Middle Tennessee (0-1-0) struck first in the 16th minute after sophomore goalkeeper Lily Herman (Springboro, Ohio) was issued a red card. Charlot Van Ishoven capitalized on the free kick that proceeded the penalty, retrieving her own rebound and sending the ball in to give the Blue Raiders a 1-0 lead.
From then on the Bruins were only allowed ten players on the field, putting them at a disadvantage for the final 74 minutes of the match. However, they didn't allow the hurdle to hinder them as junior midfielder Emily Whitcomb (Elmhurst, Ill.) headed in the equalizer four minutes later to knot the game up, 1-1. MTSU would strike for the final time in the waning minutes of the first half as Peyton Depriest beat rookie goalkeeper Abby Hunt (Surrey, British Columbia, Canada) and let one go from 18 yards out.
Still down a player, Belmont continued to play aggressively in the second frame with Garst collecting a beautiful assist from senior Belicia Mendiola (McKinney, Texas) and slipping in her first collegiate goal. Garst then came within striking distance of scoring once again, firing a bullet that met the right post and ricocheted off to rob the Bruins of the go-ahead goal with 30 minutes to go before Boozer would eventually find the answer.
BU outshot MTSU, 22-11, while getting eight on frame. Mendiola and Garst led the offensive efforts with six shots, while Hunt registered a save on the defensive end.
UP NEXT
The Bruins will return to E.S. Rose Park next weekend for a pair of home matches. They will take on Western Carolina on Friday, Aug. 25 before hosting Tennessee Wesleyan on Sunday, Aug. 27.
