Box Score RICHMOND, Ky. - Competing in its fifth double overtime match of the season, the Belmont women's soccer team finished Friday's match against Eastern Kentucky with a 0-0 draw.
The tie gives Belmont another point in the OVC standings, giving them 11 points to stay ahead of Jacksonville State, EKU and Eastern Illinois.
"I'd love to have three (points), but being on the road and getting one point continues to move us forward," head coach Heather Henson said. "We didn't take care of the ball well enough today. We got one point and we got away with doing that. But we need to get back to our style of play and take care of the ball better."
Starting the match as the early aggressor, Belmont slashed its attackers to force EKU goalkeeper Zoe Aguirre outside the penalty area to retrieve the ball in the opening minutes. Belmont collected its first corner kick of the day in the 26th to result in a header, but the shot went over the crossbar to remain scoreless.
The Bruins looked to capitalize off a shot inside the penalty area in the 72nd minute, but EKU blocked the ball to prevent the scoring opportunity. Eastern Kentucky had a stretch of three consecutive corners in just three minutes, but Belmont knocked the ball away on all of them to prevent any offensive chances for the Lady Colonels.
EKU collected two shots in the final 12 minutes, but swarming defense by the Bruins forced the Lady Colonels' attackers to miss both wide.
"We did a good job of being organized defensively," Henson said. "I think our back line was organized well. As a team defensively, our backs and (goalkeeper) Lily (Herman) did a great job of reading the balls that (EKU) was trying to play, the services that they were trying to play and we were able to stay disciplined to eliminate them from getting it behind."
Belmont broke away from Aguirre twice in the first overtime, but a Lady Colonels' defender knocked the ball out of play and a shot going off target kept the match tied at zero. EKU looked to break the match open with a corner kick in double overtime, but the Belmont defense forced the Lady Colonels' shot out of play.
The Bruins collected two shots in the final five minutes, but neither was able to result in the go-ahead goal.
"Our attack can make the goalkeeper have to make decisions, whether that's off flighted balls or one-on-ones," Henson said. "I thought we did a good job of creating those opportunities. (Aguirre) had to make decisions. Whenever we can make a goalkeeper and a back line have to make decisions, that's a good attack scenario for us."
Belmont returns home for its final two matches of the season. The Bruins face Murray State on Oct. 25 at Rose Park, with kickoff set for 4 p.m.
