The Belmont women’s soccer team is currently sitting in eighth place with a record of 2-7-2, but it has the opportunity to pick up some huge conference wins over the next few weeks.
“Knowing we are coming in with a lot of injuries and requiring some new ones, I think that the ladies have worked well with working through that,” said head coach Heather Henson.
Even though the season started off slow with multiple losses, Henson is confident about her team. After an overtime win against Eastern Illinois University on Sunday, the Bruins aim to bounce back and reach their fourth consecutive conference tournament.
“Performance-wise on the field, we have performed really well. I don’t think the results have been what we’ve wanted,” said junior Julie Garst.
Although the team has gone through some tough losses, they aren’t trailing far behind other teams in the conference. The Bruins have played in tight games all season and have only lost by one or two goals.
But home games might be what changes the team’s trajectory, said senior AB Hawkins.
“A lot of the traveling has been really hard. But the girls have done well balancing school and soccer,” Hawkins said. Friday will be the Bruins first home game in five games, and there are many more to come.
They play Murray State University, currently second in the conference, at home on October 25th. Then they take on Austin Peay University, sitting right under Belmont at ninth in the conference, on the 27th. These are the biggest conference games for the Bruins.
The Bruins will play four of their six final games at home. Even though the results have not been showing, the girls are willing to take a win anyway they can, said Henson.
Belmont kicks off a two-game home stand against Tennessee Tech University on Friday followed by Jacksonville State on Sunday. The team can have a huge turnaround and are staying positive in the final stretch.
“Being here for four years I’ve really seen the ups and downs of everything,” said Hawkins. “Just being that voice the girls look up to, staying positive is the biggest thing for me.”
This article written by Hanley Riggs. Photo by Colby Crosby.