More Than Playing in Pink

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - - The Belmont Women's Soccer team will be playing in their annual Think Pink game on Saturday Oct. 24 against Valparaiso to bring awareness to breast cancer and those affected by it. This year's game features three seniors whose mothers have all been affected by breast cancer, Kate Virtel, Lillie Tabor, and Kennedy Bernsen.

Kate Virtel found out her mother, Danielle, was diagnosed with breast cancer heading into her sophomore year. Virtel's mom turned to the Lord, trusting in the strength and resilience given to her by God to get her through the tough road ahead of her.

"This game is always special because it brings awareness to breast cancer, but now having my mom affected by it, it just means more".

Danielle has been done with treatment for almost a year and a half and is doing amazing in her daily life.

Lillie Tabor and her family were heartbroken when her mother, Erin, was diagnosed with invasive intraductal carcinoma in June of 2024. Her family had no prior history of breast cancer and were terrified of what this meant for her health, her future, and what treatment would look like. Tabor's mother quickly turned to Jesus for guidance, using her situation to point others to the truth of the gospel. Throughout her treatment, she drew inspiration from Isaiah 26:4 "Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord is the Rock eternal".

Thanks to early detection and aggressive treatment, Erin is currently in remission but Tabor reminds us that her fight is not over yet.

"The effects of treatment, the medication she is currently taking, and the fear of future scans are the things that do not end when treatment does. That is why I'm so passionate about raising awareness and bringing light to women who have been affected… This game is more than wearing pink. We play for the women who have been affected by breast cancer. You are beautiful and loved by Belmont Women's Soccer and the Lord".

Kennedy Bernsen was getting ready to return to Belmont for pre-season last summer when her mom, Cindy, was diagnosed with breast cancer. Leaving for school became incredibly difficult for Bernsen knowing her mom would be entering treatment. Bernsen's mother leaned on faith throughout her battle, bringing her whole family closer to each other and the Lord.

Cindy is now cancer free and her family could not be more proud of her and how she handled the adversity.

"I think this game is super important to not only raise awareness for those affected on our team in the past and present, but to honor all women in general who have battled breast cancer".

The strength and resilience of these mothers is something all three Bruins said have personally inspired them. They will be taking their mothers' stories with them into the game and reminding us how important it is to bring awareness to breast cancer.

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.