Women’s Soccer Faces Indiana State in MVC Championship Quarterfinal

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - - The 2024 MVC Women's Soccer Championship continues Sunday with a quarterfinal match featuring No. 4 Belmont (8-9-2, 5-4-1 MVC) hosting No. 5 Indiana State (10-5-5, 4-3-3 MVC). Kickoff from E.S. Rose Park is scheduled for 2 p.m. CT. The match will be streamed on ESPN+.

What's Bruin

• Belmont is the fourth seed in the MVC Women's Soccer Championship. The Bruins finished the regular season with an 8-9-2 overall and 5-4-1 record.
• Belmont finished the regular season tied for fifth in the MVC with 23 goals scored; the most goals scored by the Bruins in the regular season since they netted 35 goals in 2017.
• Sydney Jones ranks second in the MVC with 79 saves and third with a .806 save percentage. The graduate goalkeeper has started in 18 matches in her first year at Belmont. Her six shutouts are tied for the sixth most in a single season in program history. Jones made 42 saves and logged five clean sheets against MVC opponents.
• Allison Brockelman leads all Bruins with 70 career match appearances. The senior defender's 1,446 minutes are the second most among field players.
• Ava Labocki leads the team with six goals and 13 points. The freshman ended the regular season tied for fourth in goals in the MVC.
• Reagan Ross scored a team-high three goals during the conference slate. The freshmen finished the regular season second on the team with five goals and led the Bruins with 13 shots on goal.
• Belmont freshmen wasted no time scoring goals in their first year of collegiate action. Reagan Ross and Labocki scored 11 of Belmont's 23 goals in the regular season. Kaitlyn Elliott's five points and two goals are tied for the third most on the team.
• Anna Samuel recorded three of her team-high four assists during conference play. Samuel started in 12 matches with 18 appearances and 751 minutes in the regular season.
• Defenders Eliza Paisley and Kennedy Wise both finished the regular season with two goals and over 1,000 minutes of action.
• Lillie Tabor leads all Bruins with 1,651 minutes. Tabor, Brockelman, Carly Ross and Kate Virtel have started in all 19 matches for the Bruins this season.
• Eight Bruins scored their first career goal so far this season.

 Trends to Note

• Belmont is 6-2-2 when they score the first goal.
• The Bruins are 7-0 when scoring at least two goals in a match.
• Belmont is 4-0 when leading at halftime.

 Bruins in the Postseason

• The Bruins return to the postseason for the second time under Head Coach Kelsey Cameron. Belmont fell 1-nil to No. 6 Valparaiso in the first round of last season's conference tournament. 
• Sunday's match marks the first time Belmont will host a postseason match at E.S. Rose Park since Oct. 31, 2021. This is the first time Belmont will play a conference tournament match at home as a member of the MVC.
• The last time Belmont won their first match of a conference tournament was on Nov. 1, 2019, against Austin Peay. The Bruins went on to win the 2019 OVC Tournament and play North Carolina in the NCAA Tournament. 

 Scouting the Sycamores

• The Sycamores defeated No. 8 Southern Illinois in the first round of the conference tournament on Oct. 31, 2-1. Mackenzie Kent scored 58 seconds into the match and in the 26^th minute. Maddie Alexander made nine saves and faced 17 shots from the Salukis.
• Alexander continues to shine as one the best goalkeepers in the MVC and the nation. Her conference-leading 116 saves and .872 save percentage rank sixth and ninth in NCAA Division I, respectively.
• Mackenzie Kent leads the team and MVC with eight goals. The Sycamores' second-leading scorer is freshman Alex Lehnert with six goals in 20 matches.

Series History

• Belmont is 1-5-4 all-time against Indiana State.
• Indiana State defeated Belmont in the regular season final on Oct. 27, 2-1. Labocki scored the first goal of the game in the 16^th minute. Indiana State's Maddie Helling scored the equalizer in the 29^th minute. Audrey Roberts netted the game-winning goal in the 83^rd minute.
• The Bruins' lone win against Indiana State was a 2-0 victory on Oct. 6, 2000.

Up Next
The winner of Sunday's match will advance to the semifinal round of the 2024 MVC Women's Soccer Championship and face No. 1 Missouri State on Nov. 7. Kickoff from Betty and Bobby Allison South Stadium in Springfield, Mo. is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT. The match will be broadcast on ESPN+.
 
Follow Belmont women's soccer on social media - @BelmontWSoccer on X, @belmontwsoccer on Instagram and @belmontWsoccer on Facebook - for complete coverage of the Bruins. Stay up to date with all of Belmont's athletic programs via the official app of the Belmont Bruins, available both in the Apple App Store and on Google Play.