CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. Belmont women's soccer (1-5-2) wrapped up their non-conference schedule Sunday afternoon against Chattanooga (6-1). The Mocs never lost the lead, but the Bruins gave them some struggles in the second half, as Chattanooga won, 3-1.
Scoring started in the 39
th minute. Birna Johannsdottir (2) found Betha Pucek, who scored on a 1-on-1 with
Sarah Doyle, to make it 1-0. Chattanooga's second goal came in the 55
th minute, courtesy of Caroline Richvalsky (5). Johannsdottir picked up her second assist of the match on the play.
Belmont's offense came to life in the second half. They double their shot total from the first half with four in the second. They also took four corner kicks in the half, after having none in the first 45 minutes.
Leah Firsdon was fouled in the penalty area, and awarded a penalty kick.
Maci Pekmezian (2) drilled the bottom-right corner, for the Bruin's only goal of the match. Pekmezian has scored the last two goals for Belmont.
Chattanooga added to their 2-1 lead with their third goal in the 75
th minute. Betha Pucek set-up Mary Beth Skelton for her first goal of the season. The Bruins couldn't amount a comeback, and lost 3-1. The match was the first time Chattanooga defeated Belmont.
Doyle tied a career-high 13 saves on 28 shots in the match. In her previous match against Kentucky, she set her previous season-high of 10 saves. Her second double-digit save performance brings her season save percentage to .794.
Coach's Corner
Despite the result, head coach Kelsey Cameron felt her team played well in the second half. "After a few halftime adjustments, I thought we responded well," said Cameron. "We fought our way back into the match. Overall, the quality needs to be better, but I'm proud of the team's response, and showing some fight and heart in the second half."
Up Next
Belmont returns to E.S. Rose Park to open Missouri Valley Conference play against Indiana State Sunday, Sept. 17. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. CT. The match will be streamed on ESPN+ with Live Stats online.
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