NASHVILLE, Tenn. – All knotted up at a goal apiece after 85 minutes of action, the Belmont University men's soccer team found the back of the net in the 86th minute against visiting Evansville University to secure a program record fifth consecutive victory Tuesday night in non-conference action at E.S. Rose Park. Sophomore midfielder AJ Chastonay headed in his fifth goal of the season off a well-placed cross from senior midfielder/defender Jack Shaw for the game winner.
Improving to 9-3-1 on the season and a perfect 8-0 at Rose Park, the Bruins extended their school record home win streak to nine.
Despite giving up just its second goal at home this season late in the first half, Belmont relied once again on its defense to keep the Purple Aces (1-9-1) out of the net in the second half. Backed by the Bruins' outstanding defensive back line, senior goalkeeper Drew Romig came up with four second-half saves before Chastonay's game-winning header.
Evansville controlled the opening 30 minutes of play and earned all four of its corner kicks in the first half. However, a set piece by senior forward Niccolo Dagnoni and a connection with sophomore defender Case Cox gave Belmont a short-lived 1-0 lead in the 42nd minute. Less than a minute later, the Aces would respond with an equalizing volley at the 42nd minute mark.
In an entertaining affair that saw seven combined yellow cards and plenty of intensity throughout, the Bruins found a way to overcome adversity with the score tied late into the match. Both teams notched six shots in the second half as Evansville held a slight 6-5 advantage in total shots on target for the night.
A far left-side free kick near the touchline taken by Dagnoni resulted in the first goal of the match. Dagnoni drove the ball into the box for Cox, who bounced the ball off the turf before punching it in with his left foot for his second career goal.
Moments later on a deep free kick of their own, the Aces drove the ball into the six-yard box where forward Jakub Hall nearly scored on a well-struck header. Southern Conference Defensive Player of the Week Romig made the initial save but Evansville midfielder Ryan Harris was able to wedge himself through defenders and get a foot on the rebound, sending the ball into the upper portion of the net for the equalizer.
Sophomore forward Esteban Leiva had a shot in the closing seconds of the first half, but the score remained tied at the break.
Three of the Aces' four second-half shots on goal came in the first 25 minutes with Romig making the play on each. Cox had the first of only two second-half shots on target for Belmont, his attempt coming in the 56th minute.
Following a series of throw-ins deep inside the Bruins' attacking zone, Dagnoni set up Shaw for the difference maker. Dagnoni found a wide-open Shaw on the far-right wing with about four-and-a-half minutes to go and Shaw fed the ball into the box where Chastonay was cutting to the goal. Chastonay tapped the ball on the strong cross as his slight touch slid the ball into the left side of the net with 4:20 remaining.
Evansville got one more look in the 88th minute but Pablo Guillen's shot went out left.
Cox finished with three total shots, two of which were on target, while senior forward Liam O'Brien also had three shots and Chastonay two on goal. Romig accounted for five saves for the second-straight outing.
Of Note
The Aces' goal was just the second goal Belmont has conceded at home this fall. The Bruins have now outscored their opponents 13-2 at Rose Park this season with their nine-match home winning streak dating back to the unique 2020-21 spring season - a 1-0 victory over Mercer on April 3. Winning 11 of its last 13 home matches, Belmont has gone 17-7-3 at Rose Park since the start of the 2018 season. An impressive 9-1-1 across their last 11 matches, the Bruins have scored 12 goals in their last four contests. Adding two more assists to his name in the triumph, Dagnoni now has a team-leading eight assists this fall and 23 for his career. He is only two away from tying Nico Olsak (2010-13) for the most assists ever by a Belmont player. Combined with a trio of goals, the Milan, Italy, striker owns 14 points on the season and 53 for his career. Third among Bruins all-time in terms of points, Dagnoni needs only one more point to move into a tie for second place with Fernando Castellanos (2002-03). Dagnoni is also tied with Dan Meacock (2008-11) for the fourth-most goals in program history with 15 for his career. Tuesday night's victory marked the first win for Belmont over Evansville since Sept. 21, 2006. Uniquely, the matchup was both a future and former Missouri Valley Conference tilt as the Bruins will become the league's seventh member in 2022. Belmont spent the 2000 season as an affiliate member of the MVC.
Up Next
The Bruins wrap up their four-match homestand Saturday with a senior day match against 16th-ranked UNC Greensboro. Kickoff of the SoCon matchup is slated for 5 p.m. at Rose Park with the contest broadcast on ESPN+.
Follow Belmont men's soccer on social media - @BelmontMSoccer on Twitter and @belmontmsoccer on Instagram - for complete coverage of the Bruins. Stay up to date with all of Belmont's athletic programs via the official app of the Belmont Bruins, available both in the Apple App Store and on Google Play.
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