Box Score
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – A couple of early Golden Eagle goals at the beginning of each frame ended Belmont women's soccer three match home win streak Friday night at E.S. Rose Park. Rookie Julie Garst (Franklin, Tenn.) scored the Bruins lone goal as they fell to Tennessee Tech, 2-1, in a hard fought battle.
TTU (5-4-1, 2-1-1 OVC) used a goal in the first five minutes of both halves to force BU (6-4-1, 2-2-0 OVC) to suffer only its second loss on its home turf in 2017. It was the first shot of the night that the Golden Eagles gained the advantage after Mayra Manzanal lobbed the ball just over the head of sophomore keeper Lily Herman (Springboro, Ohio) in the fifth minute.
From then Belmont registered the next four consecutive shots but failed to find the frame. The squad tried again in the 24th minute after sophomore Niki Clements (Perkasie, Pa.) weaved her way through a stifling Golden Eagle defense and served a beautiful cross to Garst who put a little too much power behind the ball as it soared over the goal.
Ten minutes later the freshman forward tried again and managed to score on the reigning OVC Goalkeeper of the Year, Kari Naerdemann. A tricky thru ball from senior forward Belicia Mendiola (McKinney, Texas) forced Naerdemann to leave her post in attempt to intercept the pass, but Garst beat the keeper to the ball and lightly chipped it past the Golden Eagles defense and into the back of the net. The Franklin, Tenn. native's third goal of the season knotted the game up, 1-1, heading into halftime.
Once again Tennessee Tech struck early, this time in the opening two minutes of the second stanza. TTU retook the lead in the 47th minute on a goal from Dani Shartouny who used a couple of assists from her teammates to catch Herman off guard and net the game-winning goal.
From then on Belmont struggled to get past a tenacious back line that has only allowed five goals all season. The Bruins got a couple good looks throughout the second half including a two-minute span where they tallied three corner kicks but couldn't convert. In the final 15 minutes freshman Halle Krebs (Lakewood, Ohio) saw BU's best look after junior Heather Ferrari (Duluth, Ga.) found her open, but Krebs was another victim to Naerdemann's talents.
The Bruins outshot Tennessee Tech, 19-8, while landing seven shots on goal.
