LOUISVILLE, Ky. - It was a tough beginning to the 2019 season for Carson-Newman, as the Eagles fell to Bellarmine by a 1-0 final.
Play at Owsley B. Frazier Stadium in Louisville, Ky. began with a fire in the Eagles' (0-1) offense, who earned a penalty kick in the eighth minute. Forward Delaney Griffin (Franklin, Tenn.) had her penalty shot saved by goalie Elyssa Francis in a momentum turner for the Knights (1-0). Bellarmine rallied off eight straight shots from the penalty kick save to put the Eagles on the back foot defensively.
Coach Simon Duffy remained in high spirits after the lost, pointing to how well his team was able to move the ball offensively in spurts throughout the game.
"Really thought we deserved something from the game in the end, even a draw would have been a fair result," Duffy said. "Bellarmine are a very, very good team and I think they're going to do good things this year. Great team to be challenged against in the first game of the season and hopefully we can bounce back, learn a lot from it, continue right where we left off and bring it Sunday against Young Harris and put a few in the back of the net."
Looking to turn the tide, C-N opened the second half with shots from Addie Henry (Chattanooga, Tenn.), Emilee Futrell (Wilson, N.C.), Elena Propst (Maiden, N.C.) and Griffin, with none resulting a goal.
The lone goal of the evening was scored in the 64th minute by Annabel Moore for the Knights. Despite a late push, including a shot that went wide by Makayla Garner (Fort Mill, S.C.) the Eagles were left with nothing to show on the scoreboard.
Bellarmine outshot C-N by a 14-9 margin, with sophomore forward Isabella Zamborini leading the way with three shots. Griffin's three shots on goal led C-N on the night. Despite picking up a loss, senior goalie Jasmine Rizk (Andersonville, Tenn.) recorded seven saves in net for the Eagles.
In search of a bounce-back victory, C-N will open up the home slate Sunday with a tilt against Young Harris. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. with live coverage on the Eagles Sports Network.
