DANE FUELLING
WZBD.com
Freshman Kaitlyn Barton did the legwork.
Senior Gwen Laurent finished it with skill.
An emotional, drawn-out match with East Noble finished in ecstasy for the Bellmont Braves when Laurent clattered the ball off the woodwork for a remarkable goal with 73 seconds left in the contest, handing the home team a come-from-behind, 2-1 victory.
The goal came from a free kick, won outside the box by Barton, who was hauled down trying to knife through the EN defense.
The win keeps the Braves unbeaten in the NE8 and clinches at least a share of the conference title, but coach Steve Lee’s team of talented freshman and seasoned veterans really has no interest in sharing this honor. They’ll look to capture the outright title Monday night at DeKalb against the Barons.
WZBD will be there Monday night to cover the game live on 92.7 FM.
“Soccer is a crazy game,” admitted coach Lee after the game of how this one went down.
It started with East Noble getting on the board first, scoring the first goal against Bellmont this season in the NE8. The tally came against the run of play, but showed how dangerous the Knights’ attack was against the Braves’ game of possession.
The Braves equalized with ten minutes left in the second half when Barton was taken down in the box near the end line and the official awarded a penalty from the spot.
Showing several moments of leadership in the minutes after the Braves fell behind for the first time this NE8 season, Gwen Laurent calmly jogged forward to take the ball and the spot kick. She smoothly smashed it home past the EN keeper and leveled the game.
“She’s an absolute leader,” says Lee of Laurent. “No one was beating her tonight.”
Now the Braves focus on the Barons for Monday.
“Winning a conference is challenging,” opined Lee, who has considerable experience in the matter. “You can’t have a bad moment in seven games. You have maybe one team who you can count on for a win, everyone else is tough. They’re all good. They’re all larger schools compared to us.”
Excited about the prospect of winning another NE8 title and aware of the opportunity to have the away game broadcast live back home, Lee said with a smile, “One more to go!”
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