Men's Soccer Welcomes Stetson and FGCU For Home A-Sun Matches This Weekend
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Belmont men's soccer team returns home for the first time since September 12, hosting Stetson and Florida Gulf Coast this weekend in the Bruins' first Atlantic Sun contests of the 2010 season. The Hatters won the A-Sun Tournament and earned a berth to the NCAA Championships a year ago, while FGCU finished third in the conference regular season standings.
On Friday, Stetson comes to Whitten Soccer Complex for a 3:00 p.m. match against Belmont. Stetson was the #2 seed in last year's Atlantic Sun Tournament, and went on to win its second ever conference championship in 2009. The Hatters have opened up the 2010 season with a 3-2-1 record, losing their only road match thus far. Kai Eckenrode leads Stetson in points with 10 on three goals and four assists. Fredrik Brustad and Jonathan Mendoza are tops on the team in goals and assists, with four and six, respectively.
Then on Sunday, FGCU will come to Nashville to play BU in a 12:05 p.m. match. The Eagles recorded a 6-3-0 record in the conference last season to rank third. FGCU was not eligible for post season play in 2009 because of reclassification rules. The Eagles have started this season 4-2-2, including a 1-0 victory over then #5 Ohio State. Deion Jones, Ryan Price, and Christian Raudales have each recorded two goals thus far in 2010.
The Bruins and the Hatters have met 13 times, with Stetson holding an 8-3-2 advantage in the all time series. Last season Belmont fell to the Hatters by a score of 2-1 on the road. The most recent Bruin victory came during the 2008 season when BU topped Stetson 4-3 in a double overtime match in the Atlantic Sun Tournament. Belmont and FGCU have met only three times, with the Bruins holding a slight 2-1 advantage in the series. Last year, the Eagles defeated BU 4-0 in DeLand.
After this weekend's competition Belmont will next head back on the road to take on North Florida and Jacksonville in A-Sun comopetition. BU will be at the Ospreys on October 8 at 6:00 p.m. and at the Dolphins on October 10 at 12:00 p.m.
