Women’s Soccer Prepares for No. 1 Missouri State in MVC Championship Semifinal

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - - The postseason run continues for the No. 4 Belmont Bruins (9-9-2, 5-4-1 MVC) with an MVC Women's Soccer Championship semifinal match against the regular season champion and top-seeded Missouri State Bears (11-4-3, 9-0-1 MVC). Kickoff from Betty & Bobby Allison South Stadium on Nov. 7 is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT. The match will be broadcast on ESPN+
 
Quarterfinal Recap vs. No. 5 Indiana State

• No. 4 Belmont defeated No. 5 Indiana State on Nov. 3 at E.S. Rose Park, 1-0.
• Belmont's Kaitlyn Elliott scored the game-winning goal in the 64^th minute, assisted by Reagan Ross and Teagan Downs.
• Goalkeeper Sydney Jones made six saves in goal.
• The win was Belmont's first MVC tournament win in program history. The Bruins were previously 0-3 in the conference tournament since they became a member in 2022.
• The quarterfinal result was Belmont's first postseason win since 2019. Belmont was later crowned the 2019 OVC Tournament Champion.  

All-MVC Honors
Five Bruins earned All-MVC Team honors:

• Eliza Paisley – Second Team
• Carly Ross – Second Team
• Sydney Jones – Third Team
• Ava Labocki – Third Team and All-Freshman
• Reagan Ross – Third Team and All-Freshman 

What's Bruin

• 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.
• Freshmen trio Ava Labocki, Reagan Ross and Kaitlyn Elliott have scored 14 of Belmont's 24 goals this season. Elliott's game-winning goal was her team-high second of the season. Her three goals and seven points rank third on the team.
• Labocki leads the team with six goals and 13 points. The freshman ended the regular season tied for fourth in goals in the MVC.
• Ross scored a team-high three goals during the conference slate. She leads the team with 14 shots on goal, and ranks second with five goals and 11 points.
• Sydney Jones ranks second in the MVC with 85 saves and a .817 save percentage. The graduate goalkeeper has started in 19 matches in her first year with the Bruins. Her seven shutouts are tied for the second most in a single season in program history. The quarterfinal shutout marked the third consecutive year a Belmont goalkeeper has reached recorded at least seven clean sheets; 2023 All-MVC Third Team goalkeeper Sarah Doyle '23 pitched seven in 2022 and 2023. Jones made 42 saves and logged five clean sheets in conference play.
• Allison Brockelman leads all Bruins with 71 career match appearances. The senior defender's 1,538 minutes are the second most among field players.
• Anna Samuel recorded three of her team-high four assists during conference play. Samuel started in 12 matches with 19 appearances and 797 minutes this season.
• Lillie Tabor leads all Bruins with 1,740 minutes of action. Tabor, Brockelman, Carly and Kate Virtel have started in all 20 matches for the Bruins this season.
• Eight Bruins have scored their first career goal this season.

Trends to Note

• Belmont is 7-2-2 when scoring 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. 

Scouting the Bears

• The Bears were the only team to finish undefeated in MVC play this season, going 9-0-1.
• Missouri State took home all MVC specialty awards and Coaching Staff of the Year. Player of the Year: Julia Kristensen, Defensive Player of the Year: Jenna Anderson, Goalkeeper of the Year: Camielle Day, and Freshman of the Year: Jane Hansen
• Kristensen led the MVC with 18 points, tied for second in the MVC with four goals and led the MVC with 10 assists.
• Day was named Goalkeeper of the Year for the second straight season.

Series History

• Belmont is 1-5 all-time against Missouri State.
• Missouri State defeated Belmont during the regular season, 2-0. Grace O'Keefe and Kaeili Benedict scored in the 8^th and 51^st minute, respectively. Julia Kristensen assisted on both goals.
• The first meeting between the teams was Oct. 23, 1998; Belmont won 4-1.

Up Next
The winner of Thursday's match will face the winner of the semifinal match between No. 3 UIC and No. 2 Drake in the championship on Nov. 11. Kickoff from Betty & Bobby Allison South Stadium in Springfield, Mo. is scheduled for 1 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.