LAKE WALES, Fla. - The Royals Women's Soccer team earned their 1st SUN Conference win of the season on Saturday over Ave Maria University. Warner saw standout performances all over the field in the win, including from Senior
Gianna Bellomo who's 2 goal performance helped power the Royals to a 2-0 win over the Gyrenes.
The Royals and Gyrenes both entered Saturday's match seeking their first SUN Conference win of the 2026 campaign and help put them into the SUN Conference Tournament picture. Both programs came out trying to establish themselves to control the game, yet neither were able to find an edge as the two teams created strong scoring chances throughout the half. Then with less than 20 seconds left in the half the Royals broke through on a counter-attack when
Jaclyn Malagies hit a great through ball to
Gianna Bellomo. Bellomo collected the pass and hit a great arching shot over the goalkeeper from about 30 yards out to give the Royals a 1-0 lead into halftime.
Warner continued to put pressure on the Ave defense in the opening minutes of the 2nd half, earning two corner kicks in the first 8 minutes of the half. On the Royals' 2nd corner of the half, Bellomo hit a great 1-touch shot past multiple defenders and the AMU goalkeeper to put the Royals up 2-0 in the 54th minute. The match opened up following Warner's 2nd goal as both teams created more scoring chances, but neither were able to find the back of the net before the final whistle. Warner's defense, anchored by Center Back
Alycia Hizer and Goalie
Haley Van Houweling had another tremendous day on the pitch securing the team's 6th shutout of the season as Van Houweling secured 7 saves, 5 in the 2nd half, to help the Royals secure the 2-0 victory. The Royals final stat line on Saturday saw Warner record 18 shots, 7 on goal, 4 corner kicks and 7 saves.
Warner will look to build off this momentum when they host the Bobcats of St. Thomas University next Saturday on the Royals Soccer Field.
Up Next:
The Royals will host St. Thomas University on Saturday, October 17th on the Royals Soccer Field with kickoff scheduled for Noon.
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