COLUMBUS, Ga. – The 10th-ranked Bellarmine Knights scored a pair of goals less than 10 minutes into the second half to power a 3-1 win over the Lady Railsplitters in the 2016 season opener on Friday afternoon in Columbus, Ga.
Lincoln Memorial (0-1) was hanging right with the high-powered Knights (1-0) through 45 minutes of action, but Bellarmine, who made it to the Sweet 16 of the 2015 NCAA Tournament, pulled away early in the second half and kept the Lady Railsplitters at bay.
After ripping off seven fruitless shot attempts through the first 17 minutes of the match, Bellarmine broke through in the 21st minute, as Annabel Moore chipped a ball in the box for Audrey Van Der Elst, who tapped it into the left-hand corner of the net to give the Knights a 1-0 lead.
The Lady Railsplitters answered less than six minutes later, though, as junior
Melissa Carpenter (Jacksonville, Fla.) connected with
Caroline Souza (Sao Paulo, Brazil) in the middle of the box, and Souza tallied her first goal of the season to draw the contest even at 1-1. The assist was Carpenter's first point for the Blue and Gray.
The score would stand pat at 1-1 until Bellarmine's reigning All-American striker Mary Beth Gorham broke the tie with a header in the 47th minute. That play, which would prove to be the game-winner, was set up by Lauren Holder.
The Knights added an insurance goal in the 55th minute, less than eight minutes later, as Holder sent a deep ball to Olivia Taylor, who outran her defender and knocked it into the left side of the net.
Bellarmine doubled the Lady Railsplitters' shot output, launching 17 shots and five shots on goal as compared to seven shots and three shots on frame for Lincoln Memorial. The Knights also accumulated nine corner kicks as opposed to only one for the Lady Railsplitters.
Souza, who produced the lone goal of the match for LMU, led the team with three shots and two shots on goal, while Carpenter had two shots.
Michelle Hunter (Tecumseh, Ontario) had the other shot on goal.
Senior
Kathryn Lundy (Pinckney, Mich.) made the start in goal for the Lady Railsplitters, logging two saves in just over 72 minutes of action.
Brooke Taylor (White Pine, Tenn.) played the final 18 minutes and did not face a shot over that span. Bellarmine keeper Hannah Poteet made two saves and allowed a single goal in 90 minutes of work.
With the loss, the Lady Railsplitters slip to 11-2 in season openers since the start of the 2004 campaign. Lincoln Memorial's only other defeat over that span came at the hands of No. 2 nationally-ranked West Florida in 2014.
The Lady Railsplitters wrap up the first weekend of the 2016 season on Sunday when they face West Alabama at 9 a.m. in Columbus, Ga. Live stat links are available at www.LMURailsplitters.com.
