Box Score NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Belmont University women's soccer team won its third consecutive shutout match on Tuesday at Rose Park, defeating Austin Peay 1-0.
Sophomore goalkeeper Sarah Doyle recorded six saves in her fourth career win in the net, with freshman goalkeeper Taylor Wieland making her collegiate debut and assisting in the shutout. The Bruins have recorded 271 scoreless minutes to date, with Doyle recording 258 scoreless minutes during that stretch.
"Austin Peay had a bunch of one-goal games," head coach Heather Henson said. "They're going to battle and fight until the very end. It was important for us to stay focused on the defensive principles and the details defensively. Everybody who played on the field had a moment where they broke a play defensively and that is our team defending."
Belmont carried its red-hot shooting from Friday into the opening minutes of Tuesday's match, firing two quick shots in the first five minutes. The Bruins capitalized off a goal opportunity in the 10th minute, which turned out to be the game winner.
Junior Erin Patterson fed a pass to senior Julie Garst, who knocked in her first goal of the season in the 10th minute of play and gave the Bruins a 1-0 lead. Garst now has 20 career goals, currently good for the fifth most in program history. The Franklin, Tenn. native also brought her career point total to 48, tying Kari Lennon (2004-07) for sixth in program history.
"As much as I wanted to score a goal in the last six games, I needed to stay composed and stay confident," Garst said. "I knew it would happen when it was supposed to and when (the ball) went in the back of the net, I was just so excited."
Austin Peay looked to tie the score before going into the locker room at halftime, tallying four shots in the final 10 minutes of the first half. Doyle, however, collected a pair of saves and Belmont forced the other two shots to go off target to take the lead into halftime.
The Bruins controlled the possession to open the second half, but Austin Peay claimed two shot opportunities in the 64th minute. Doyle once again collected a save to keep the Bruins in front and saved the final shot Austin Peay took in the 78th minute.
Belmont controlled the pace and the momentum for the final 12 minutes, holding on for the 1-0 win. With a 4-3 record and 12 points, the Bruins are now in fourth place in the Ohio Valley Conference standings. The top four teams in the OVC regular season qualify for the 2021 conference tournament.
"Defense is what wins games, so we try to make that a primary focus for us," Patterson said. "Our back line does a great job and know what their job is and working together. They're really solid. They play great balls up to the forwards and that's a big thing and they really help us out."
Belmont returns to action on Tuesday, March 30, traveling to Richmond, Ky. to take on Eastern Kentucky at 2:30 p.m.
