Box Score CHARLESTON, Ill. – Claiming its 11th victory of the fall, the Belmont University men's soccer team closed out its regular season with a 2-0 non-conference win at Eastern Illinois University Tuesday afternoon. The 11 wins tying the most in a single season in program history, the Bruins got first-half goals from senior forwards Liam O'Brien and Niccolo Dagnoni to top the host Panthers at Lakeside Field in Charleston, Illinois.
Earning its program record eighth shutout of the season, Belmont (11-4-1) has now matched the Bruins' 2008 squad who went 11-8-2.
Once again playing off its defense, Belmont took advantage of its scoring opportunities in the opening 45 minutes of action. The Bruins outshot Eastern Illinois 9-5 in the first half and limited the Panthers (2-10-1) to just one corner kick for the match. Tallying five corners during the afternoon affair, Belmont accounted for three before halftime.
After controlling the first 25 minutes of the contest, senior midfielder/defender Esteban Lestido found sophomore defender Case Cox in the far-left corner. Working his way around a defender, Cox paved a clear path to the box as he delivered the ball into O'Brien, who was cutting to the goal. O'Brien launched the ball off his left foot into the back of the net in the 26th minute to put the Bruins up 1-0.
With just under three minutes remaining in the half, senior midfielder Kyle Barks was fouled just outside the 18-yard box as EIU starting goalkeeper Chad Smith was issued a yellow card. Dagnoni took the free kick from the right side and bent in his fifth strike of the season into the right portion of the net, making it a 2-0 match entering the break.
Despite the hosts recording eight shots in the second half, including five of which were on goal, senior goalkeeper Drew Romig held his ground and came up with five saves. With both teams notching eight shots on target across the 90 minutes, Romig registered a career-high eight saves.
Belmont managed just three shots in the second half and only one was on goal as the Bruins finished with 12 total shots and the Panthers 13. O'Brien posted four shots with three on target, while sophomore midfielder AJ Chastonay had three shots with two on goal.
EIU forward Lenni Kirschner registered a match-high four shots, all of which were on target.
Of Note
Belmont is now 11-2-1 over its last 14 outings and is 6-1 in the month of October. Earning his seventh clean sheet of the fall, Romig set the single-season program record for shutouts. O'Brien's goal was his team-best eighth of the season and 14th of his career. He is now tied with Carlos Macioch (1997-01) for the fifth-most goals in program history. The Freehold, New Jersey, native owns a pair of braces and a hat trick over the last two seasons. Now with five goals on the year, Dagnoni has 17 goals over his four-year career which is tied for the third-most in school history with Jeremy Littlejohn (1995-98) and Will Moorad (2008-11). The Milan, Italy, striker has now accounted for a team-high 18 points this fall and 57 in his career, which represent the second-most ever by a Bruin. With his assist on O'Brien's goal, Cox has now either scored or recorded an assist in each of Belmont's last five outings. Lestido's assist was his second of the season and third of his five-year Bruin career.
Up Next
Belmont will learn of its seeding and matchup for the 2021 Southern Conference Championship following the conclusion of the conference's regular season this Saturday night. The SoCon Championship will be held Monday, Nov. 1 – Saturday/Sunday, Nov. 13/14 at campus sites.
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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