Box Score RICHMOND, Ky. - The Belmont University women's soccer team was defeated by Eastern Kentucky 1-0 on Tuesday at the EKU Soccer Complex.
With EKU moving into the Atlantic Sun Conference in July 2021, this was the final Ohio Valley Conference matchup between Belmont and EKU. The Bruins recorded 13 shots while sophomore goalkeeper Sarah Doyle recorded six saves in 90 minutes.
Belmont snagged the first shot of the game just three minutes into the match, with EKU collecting a corner kick opportunity five minutes later. Senior Haley Poynter, however, prevented EKU from getting a shot off, batting the ball out of the Colonels' offensive zone to keep the match scoreless.
After Poynter collected a shot opportunity and the Belmont defense forced EKU to miss a shot high off a corner kick, EKU looked to execute off another corner in the 21st minute. The Colonels got the ball in a dangerous area to score, but last week's OVC Defensive Player of the Week, Rachel Vernon, aggressively knocked the ball out of the EKU possession with her head to keep it scoreless.
Doyle jumped in front of the ball to prevent an EKU goal off a 1-on-1 opportunity in the 24th minute, but the Colonels drew first blood two minutes later. Drawing a foul inside the penalty area, EKU put the ball in the back of the net off the penalty kick to go up 1-0.
The EKU defense forced Belmont to only one shot opportunity for the remainder of the first half, allowing the Colonels to go into the locker room ahead by one goal. Belmont came out of the gates firing in the second half, getting a shot opportunity not even one minute into the second half.
The Bruins snagged two shots on goal in the first 20 minutes of the second half, but both attempts were saved by EKU goalkeeper Billie Clark. Another shot on goal for Belmont with five minutes to play in regulation was once again saved by Clark, but the Bruins snagged two more shots with just under three minutes to play.
Belmont's first shot during that stretch was off target up top and the bottom right on frame shot was saved by Clark. The Bruins collected a corner kick opportunity with a minute and a half remaining, but they were unable to get a scoring opportunity out of it and EKU held on for the shutout victory.
Belmont (4-4) takes on SIUE on Friday at 5:30 p.m. in Edwardsville, Ill. The matchup features a rematch of the 2019 OVC Championship, where Belmont took the title by penalty kicks.
