With the most goals scored since the 2009 season, the Belmont women’s soccer team dominated Friday night with 5-1 victory over the Jacksonville State Gamecocks.
Five different Bruins found the back of the net to set the record for most goals scored in a home match at E.S. Rose Park.
“Today was a full team effort. You could see that by the scoring, how we connected our passes and built our attack,” said Belmont coach Heather Henson. “That’s the biggest part of why we created success.”
Junior Allie Hicks scored Belmont’s first goal of the contest in the ninth minute. The forward sent a rocket flying from quarter length of field that bent in the corner for the score.
“Every time you can score a goal it helps your team build more and more confidence,” Henson said. “That first one can easily lead to a second one. You just got to continuously play our game.”
Belmont would not find the net again until the 40th minute when senior Emily Jones converted a penalty kick to double Belmont’s lead 2-0.
As time was winding down in the final minute of the first half, Jacksonville State cut the lead back to one after Brianna Boutziouvis scored from 20 yards out with the assist from Abbey Clausen.
“We had a couple of groans on the sideline. But Travis our assistant coach told us to keep our heads up,” Hicks said. “We got into the locker room and kind of forgot about it. We came back even harder. I think it motivated us.”
Within the first four minutes of the second half, midfielder Meg Howard dribbled around defenders at the top of the box and ricocheted a shot off the left cross bar to make it 3-1 Belmont.
Later on in the second half, defender Meredith Martin sent a header past the keeper off the corner kick from midfielder Cassie Blase.
“It’s one of the big things about our team. We don’t have one person who is going to say ‘I’m going to score two or three goals a game,’” Henson said. “But it makes us harder to defend because you don’t know where we’re coming from.”
Around the 64th minute, Belmont was awarded its second penalty kick of the night. Senior Amy Jo Anderson sent the shot over the left shoulder of the goalkeeper to seal the 5-1 victory for the Bruins.
“I was happy with how we did. We’ve been working in practice on getting the ball wide,” Hicks said. “We capitalized on opportunities and put what we’ve been doing in practice into play.”
Belmont improved to 2-2-1 in OVC play. The Bruins will go on a four-game road swing before returning to Rose Park Nov. 1 for the final home match of the year.