Box Score LEXINGTON, Va. – Earning its first road victory of the fall, the Belmont University men's soccer team got the new month started with its second Southern Conference result of the season. The Bruins picked up a 5-0 triumph at Virginia Military Institute Saturday afternoon at Patchin Field in Lexington, Virginia, with a trio Belmont starters finding the back of the net.
Senior forward Liam O'Brien became the first Bruin to register a hat trick since fellow senior forward Niccolo Dagnoni did so against Wofford on Oct. 12, 2019. Both sophomore midfielder AJ Chastonay and sophomore forward Esteban Leiva notched first-half goals before O'Brien's three scores.
Improving to 6-3-1 on the season and 2-1-0 in SoCon action, Belmont dominated the matchup with the host Keydets (1-10-0, 0-3-0). With a season-high 11 shots on target and eight corner kicks, the Bruins claimed their fifth shutout of the fall and second straight.
"It's great to get another three points in the league and keep the shutout," said head coach David Costa following the win. "We had another good defensive performance and executed well in front of goal. Playing on the road is never easy in college soccer and we look forward to being at home again for the next two weeks."
It took Belmont just six-and-a-half minutes to mark a digit next to its name on the scoreboard. Chastonay corralled a loose ball following a strong left-footed shot by O'Brien that was blocked in the seventh minute after a long throw-in by sophomore defender Case Cox, turning it into a left-footed strike to the left-hand back of the net. His unassisted goal the third score of his sophomore campaign.
Just under seven minute later, sophomore forward Esteban Leiva, who made his first start as a Bruin, rose up for a 14th-minute header off a pinpoint pass from Dagnoni on a long-distance free kick from the right side.
Giving Belmont a three-goal lead within the first 35 minutes of the match, O'Brien punched in his first goal of the day in the 35th. A cross from the left corner by junior midfielder Davis Eddleman resulted in a quick touch by Cox inside the box, setting up O'Brien for his right-footed score. For Eddleman, it was his first assist of his collegiate career.
The Bruins had 16 total shots and seven corners in the opening 45 minutes of play, holding VMI to just four first-half shots and a single corner.
Not satisfied, O'Brien took a header into the right-side of the goal in the 54th minute off a fantastic deep throw-in by Cox from the left touchline.
Belmont's fifth and final goal of the afternoon came courtesy of O'Brien once again. Helping O'Brien secure his hat trick, junior midfielder Corey Lavinder recorded his second career assist in his first appearance of the season and senior midfielder JP Armbruster delivered a fabulous ball into the box. Lavinder passed the ball out from the right corner to Armbruster on the upper right side before O'Brien headed it in. The primary assist was also Armbruster's second of his career and first of the fall.
Both teams accounted for just one corner in the second half as the Bruins posted eight shots and the Keydets six. Of VMI's four total shots on target, only one came in the second half.
Senior goalkeeper Drew Romig, the reigning SoCon Defensive Player of the Month, made all four saves for Belmont. The Keydets' Broden Schull saved six of the Bruins' 11 shots on goal.
Junior goalkeeper Nate Logan got his first action in goal for Belmont in the second half, closing out the final 23:45 of the match in front of the net.
Of Note
- The Bruins are 6-1-1 across their last eight matches.
- O'Brien now has a team-best five goals this fall and 11 for his career. He is only one shy of moving into the top 10 for goals in program history and now has two braces and a hat trick in his four-year career. The Freehold, New Jersey, product willed Belmont to a 2-1 overtime win over Georgia State earlier this season with both a first-half score and the golden goal.
- Dagnoni's assist on Leiva's goal was the 20th of his career and fifth of the season. He is now only five away from tying Nico Olsak (2010-13) for the most ever by a Bruin. The Milan, Italy, native now owns 11 points on the season and 50 for his career. In sole possession of third place among Belmont's all-time points leaders, Dagnoni needs just four more points to move into a tie for second place on the all-time list.
- With Cox's two assists, he now owns three on the season and is tied with senior midfielder/defender Jacks Shaw for the second-most on the team.
- Romig, who ranks among national leaders in shutouts, earned a combined shutout with Logan and now has 33 saves this fall.
Up Next
The Bruins return to E.S. Rose Park and begin a four-match homestand Tuesday evening when they step back out of SoCon play to host IUPUI at 6:30 p.m. The match will be 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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