Box Score NASHVILLE, Tenn. - - Despite having moments of strong play, Belmont University men's soccer dropped a 2-1 decision to James Madison Friday night in the 2014 Belmont Invitational.
The visiting Dukes, fresh off a good result against No. 16 Penn State, were quite formidable.
For the Bruins, the opening two weeks of the regular season had been characterized by self-inflicted wounds and poor luck.
Unfortunately, the trend continued.
A Bruin defensive mistouch eluded sophomore goalkeeper Grayson Rector (Peachtree City, Ga.) in the fifth minute to give James Madison a 1-0 lead.
But Belmont settled in, owning possession, and creating some dangerous opportunities in the box.
Yet during a Bruin push, James Madison strung together a nice counter. Eric Schmidt's knifing pass set up Josh Grant for a far post goal to extend the margin to 2-0 in the 24th minute.
Rector would not be tested the remainder of the half, as the Bruins led in shots, 5-3, in the opening 45.
Some halftime adjustments and continued inspired play from freshman Rashad Hyacenth (D'Abadie, Trinidad & Tobago) yielded Belmont more scoring chances.
In the 83rd minute, the Bruins appeared to cut into the lead, as sophomore Nat Hubert (Chichester, England) sent a gorgeous free kick into the penalty area. But James Madison keeper Kyle Morton made a sprawling save to deny Hyacenth.
Two minutes later, Belmont would finally be rewarded for its pressure, as freshman Matt Vuylsteke (Hamilton, Ont., Canada) and Hyacenth connected in the box, before a bounding ball found freshman Adriano Balani (Durres, Albania) at the 18. His powerful, one-time blast beat Morton and got Belmont within 2-1.
Freshman Dan Brown (Franklin, Tenn.) nearly equalized one minute later off another promising service from Hubert, but it was not meant to be.
The Bruins finished the match with a 10-4 shot advantage.
Belmont (0-5) hosts Gardner-Webb Sunday afternoon. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. CT from E.S. Rose Park.
The match will be broadcast live on the Horizon League Network.
