NASHVILLE, Tenn. - - Belmont University women's soccer tied Southern Illinois University, 1-1, Sunday night at E.S. Rose Park in its second and final exhibition of the season.
In the first half Belmont sophomore Anna Sweeney headed the ball into the bottom right of the net after she recieved a cross from sophomore Leah Firsdon who beaten a defender to secure the cross.
Towards the end of the second half SIU's McKensey Bunch scored off of a header from a corner kick. The match ended in a 1-1 tie. Belmont maintained poise and possession throughout the match.
Andrea Leitner and Taylor Wieland split time in goal for the Bruins.
Belmont head coach Heather Henson spoke at the end of the match expressing the learning experience that will come from this game as well as the uncertain weather conditions.
"It's fall in Nashville, the weather is always unpredicatable, but the ladies did a great job of coming out ready to play," Henson said.
Coach Henson noted the importance of improvement that can be accomplished through exhibition play and adapting to a variety of situations.
"We need to stay in our game plan no matter what the other team is bringing," Henson said.
Additionally, coach Henson described this match as a great learning opportunity. "Everybody got minutes, everybody got experience to really learn and do some really good things as well as learn from some other things."
The Bruins are set to start the regular season on the road this Thursday, Aug. 19 at Middle Tennessee in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. CT.
