The Belmont women’s soccer team bounced back after their first loss of the season with a 1-0 win against the Evansville Purple Aces Friday night.
“Teams are going to win, and teams are going to lose. The true character of a team is what they do after a loss,” Bruins head coach Heather Henson said.
Earlier in the week, the team’s first loss of the young season came at home with Appalachian State edging the Bruins 1-0.
When Evansville arrived for the Friday night game, “The whole team rose to the occasion,” Henson said.”Everybody made an impact.”
For most of the first half, the Bruins dominated the Purple Aces on both sides of the ball. Belmont maintained control over the field and had several shots go just wide of the net. The Bruins outshot the Purple Aces 7-3 in the half.
In the 21st minute, junior Katie Proud gave Belmont the early 1-0 lead when she scored off her own rebound. That was eventually the game-winning goal for the Bruins.
The second half was a much more defensive battle for both teams. Evansville began to play more aggressively and outshot Belmont 7-5. But the Purple Aces were unable to capitalize on their shots, thanks to key plays by the Bruins’ defense and goalkeeper Nicole Berner.
Berner, who finished the night with three saves, praised her team’s defense.
“I had a great defense out there helping me deflect a lot of shots,” Berner said. “I really owe all my abilities to them tonight because they helped me out big time.”
The Bruins improved their record to 4-1 with the win. They will return to E.S. Rose Park Sunday at 2 p.m. to take on the Miami (OH) Redhawks.