NASHVILLE, Tenn.—Belmont University women's soccer (3-2-5) played the University of Illinois Chicago (1-5-3) to a scoreless draw Thursday night from E.S. Rose Park.
The Bruins now hold a 1-1-2 record in Missouri Valley Conference play.
A defensive battle took place on the pitch, where
Sarah Doyle recorded four saves on the night.
Claire Fallon also earned the Bruins a team save on an impressive header off the goal line to preserve a clean sheet. Doyle earned her sixth shutout of the season.
"Our women have the defensive mentality, to step to deny all shots and sacrifice their bodies to keep the ball from going into the back of the net."
Belmont came out ready with
Natalie Haverland's shot in the first minute of the match. Much of the first half took place in the middle third of the field as both teams struggled to connect into their respective offensive end.
"We weren't offering enough options to connect our passes and build our attack in the first half." Said Head Coach
Heather Henson.
The second half the Bruins were more successful in connecting passes and creating opportunities for themselves. Haverland came the closest in the second half but her shot was ultimately saved by the Flames' goalkeeper.
"We needed to take care of the ball to open up new seams and passing lanes in the second half, which started to happen. We expanded the field to open up the seams to create more opportunities."
Avery Nowak and
Carly Ross showed their strength and growth in the center working alongside each other to be a strong unit.
The Bruins tallied six shots, three on goal, with two corner kicks in the draw. Haverland led Belmont in shots with two while, Fallon,
Maci Pekmezian, and
Loren House each tallied a shot.
Alongside Doyle, Fallon and Nowak appeared for the full 90.
Up Next: The Bruins head to Illinois State to take on the Redbirds in Normal Illinois. Kickoff is set for 12 p.m. CT.
