DANE FUELLING
WZBD.com
Note: All photos in this story are from Kris Everett.
Carly Gilbert’s hat trick Monday was all the Bellmont Braves needed to finish off a 7-0 conference record in 2023 and become undisputed NE8 conference champions.
“It’s a great feeling,” said head coach Steve Lee after his team beat DeKalb 3-0 in a game that served as the first-ever soccer broadcast in WZBD’s history. “We have great leaders on this team and we have a lot left to accomplish.”
The Braves dominated the midfield against the Barons, with Gwen and Arabelle Laurent winning possession and distributing the ball all night. Emma Scheumann held up play and looked downfield each time she had the ball, consistently feeding the ball to Carly Gilbert up top.
It took just three minutes for Arabelle to hit Gilbert with a through ball, allowing the Morehead State commit to open the scoring in the contest.
Ten minutes in, it was the same combination, with Scheumann picking out Gilbert, who ran right past the DeKalb back line, but the senior missed just wide.
The Barons attempted to hold a high line, but they had no answer for the speed of the Bellmont forwards, especially Gilbert.
In a beautiful team effort goal, the Braves played the ball out of the back in the 14th minute and Scheumann and Gilbert played give-and-go three times, ending with Carly in a breakaway and a 1v1 with Ashley Williams, the DeKalb goalie. Gilbert’s finishing skills were on full display as she neatly worked past Williams and slotted the ball home just in time for a 2-0 lead.
Five minutes later it was a near replica of the previous goal, with Scheumann linking up with Gilbert to burn the DeKalb back line, leaving Williams to fend for herself against Gilbert, who had no doubts in picking up her hat trick.
Previous Conference Champions
2022-Leo (7-0)
2021-Leo (7-0)
2020-DeKalb/Bellmont (6-1)
2019-Bellmont (6-1)
2018-Bellmont (7-0)
With 20 more minutes left to play in the first half, DeKalb adjusted their defense and attempted to neutralize Gilbert, but it only resulted in a higher percentage of possession for the Braves, who made repeated attempts in the half to make it 4-0.
Coach Lee used the second half to continue to work on tactics and to rotate his squad and the Barons deserve credit, he said, for the way they conducted themselves in the second half, holding the Braves scoreless.
Senior Bellmont goalie Taylor Louis made two saves in the game before coming out for the final ten minutes, giving way to backup Emily Barton, who also made two saves in the final minutes against the Barons to complete the shutout.
The Braves got excellent play again from Brianna Converset in the back, playing sure-footed clearances and jump-starting the Bellmont attack. Adi Knipstein and Kate Kitson also performed well on the wings in what was a total team effort to pick up the win.
Lee would have none of the talk about a potential return to the Bellmont home field in a theoretical regional game.
“Norwell is good. They’re tough. No way we can look past them in our sectional.”