Story by Timothy Carroll / Sports Reporter
Photo by Brent Beerends / MT Athletic Communications
The Middle Tennessee Lady Raider soccer team opened up their 2017 season against the Belmont Bruins in what would be a hard-fought game on both sides. After striking early, the Raiders fell in dramatic fashion to the Bruins by a final score of 3-2.
The Raiders held the early advantage when Bruins’ goalkeeper Lily Herman collided with the Raiders’ Peyton DePriest. This earned the keeper a red card, which resulted in her immediate removal from the game. The Raiders took the lead on the following penalty kick, as Charlotte Van Ishoven scored after she rebounded her free kick miss and knocked it into the back of the net.
The Bruins tied the game at 1-1 just a few moments later with a header into the net from Emily Whitcomb in the 20th minute of the first half.
Middle Tennessee answered the goal just before halftime, as Peyton DePriest scored the first goal of her college career in the 41st minute. This gave the Raiders a 2-1 advantage going into the second half of play.
The Bruins wasted little time in the second stanza, as they tied the game at two on Julie Garst’s shot in the 50th minute.
They would hold onto this tie up until the 86th minute, when the Bruins scored the final goal of the evening off of Jessi Boozer’s header. This gave Belmont a lead they wouldn’t relinquish and the Lady Raiders found themselves on the tough side of a 3-2 defeat in the season opener.
As far as positives go, Middle Tennessee showed excellent poise in the face of stiff competition as Belmont is no pushover of a team. They showed several bright spots, including DePriest’s bounce back from a hard collision with the Bruins’ goalkeeper and scoring the Raiders’ second goal of the game.
The Lady Raiders will be back in action on Sunday as they play host to the in-state rival Austin Peay University Governors in Murfreesboro. The game is set to start at 6:30 p.m.
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