Box Score NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Junior defender Loren House punched in a pair of first-half goals and the Belmont University women's soccer team claimed its third consecutive home shutout Thursday night at E.S. Rose Park.
The win pushes the Bruins, now 4-1 in conference play, into a tie for first place in the OVC with UT Martin. The third straight home shutout is the fifth shutout on the season for Belmont, the most in the conference.
Belmont (7-5-1, 4-1 OVC) opened up the scoring in the 30th minute when, off a set piece, the ball was sent into the penalty box, where it pinballed around before landing at the sure feet of House, who knocked it in to put the home side up 1-0. Riley Casey was credited with her first assist of the season on the play.
Less than 15 minutes later, the Bruins would again find paydirt. Set up with a deep free kick well outside the box, Rachel Vernon delivered a beautiful ball into the danger zone, where sophomore Natalie Haverland was able to direct the ball to House, who found the back of the net with a high-arcing header to give Belmont breathing room in the 44th minute.
The two goals for House marked the first career brace for the veteran defender, who now has a team-high four goals on the season.
Holding a two-goal lead coming out of the halftime break, the Bruins found another gear defensively as the match grounded into an intense, physical affair, with two yellow cards doled out to the Eagles (4-8-3, 2-3-1 OVC). Time and again, the Bruins were able to frustrate the Eagles' attacks and withstand their opponents' pressure, creating a handful of creative opportunities themselves.
Two-time defending OVC Goalkeeper of the Week, Andrea Leitner, recorded five saves in the shutout. Morehead State tallied five corner kicks in the second half alone, while Belmont had four chances from the flags in the final 45 minutes.
Next Up
Belmont heads to Eastern Illinois on Sunday for their third match of the week. Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m. CT.
Follow Belmont women's soccer on social media - @BelmontWSoccer on Twitter and @belmont.wsoccer on Instagram - for complete coverage of the Bruins. Stay up to date with all of Belmont's athletic programs via the official app of the Belmont Bruins, available both in the Apple App Store and on Google Play.
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