Box Score SoCon Championship Bracket | Championship Central
GREENSBORO, N.C. – For the second time in program history, the Belmont University men's soccer team will be playing for a conference tournament title. The Bruins guaranteed a spot in their second consecutive Southern Conference Men's Soccer Championship title match with a 2-1 victory over top-seeded and 25th-ranked University of North Carolina at Greensboro Sunday evening at UNCG Soccer Stadium in North Carolina.
A phenomenal defensive effort against the top offensive team in the nation, Belmont got diving second-half headers from seniors Jack Shaw and Liam O'Brien for the Bruins' program record 13th win of the season. Completing the season sweep of the host Spartans (13-4-1), Belmont (13-4-1) fended off 22 UNC Greensboro shots and 20 corner kicks.
Facing a flurry of Spartan attacks across the final 18 minutes of the match, the Bruins conceded just one goal as Belmont came up with big stop after big stop. Two-time defending SoCon Defensive Player of the Month Drew Romig was once again remarkable in front of the net, compiling five saves and making a plethora of other plays that forced the home team to come up empty-handed inside the box.
Despite being held without a shot in the first half and totaling only five shots for the entire 90 minutes of action, the Bruins converted on their two shots on goal.
UNC Greensboro earned three corner kicks in the first five minutes alone and threatened plenty early, finishing the half with 11 corners. Romig had to make a trio of saves in the first 32 minutes of the contest and the Spartans had nine total shots by halftime before tallying 13 in the second half.
However, Belmont would stay true to its form and not be deterred by any UNC Greensboro attack. The Bruins needed just two shots on target to earn the triumph. Senior forward Niccolo Dagnoni took Belmont's lone corner kick of the second half in the 59th minute and sent the ball in to forward O'Brien near the penalty box. O'Brien headed the ball over to defender Shaw on the opposite side of the six-yard box and Shaw made a diving play on the cross, heading in his first goal of the season.
Both Dagnoni and O'Brien earned assists on Shaw's go-ahead header, marking Dagnoni's conference-leading 10th helper of the fall. The assist represented Dagnoni's 25th of his career, moving him into a tie with Nico Olsak (2010-13) for the most ever by a Bruin.
In the 72nd minute, it was O'Brien who broke free for a header of his own. Shaw found O'Brien from just outside the 18-yard line on the right side and fed a perfect ball into the box. O'Brien took off from the six-yard line and connected with the ball as he plunged toward the goal, scoring his team-leading ninth goal of the season and giving Belmont a convincing 2-0 lead.
The Spartans' prolific offense created plenty of chances late in the match, keeping the ball in their attacking third and doling out seven shots. The Bruins had an answer for each attack, except UNC Greensboro's final shot which resulted in an unassisted goal by forward Fernando Garcia in the 86th minute.
Both squads were issued a yellow card, junior midfielder Davis Eddleman in the 40th minute and Spartan defender Emmanuel Hagan in the 83rd.
Of Note
- The Bruins defeated UNC Greensboro in the SoCon Men's Soccer Championship for the first time after falling to the Spartans in each of the last two conference tournaments.
- It is the second-straight season Belmont has defeated the top seed and No. 25 team in the nation in the SoCon Championship semifinals, doing so during the unique 2020-21 spring tournament with a 3-1 upset of Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina.
- The win is the Bruins' first over UNC Greensboro in North Carolina.
- Belmont improves to 3-4-1 in true road matches this season.
- The Bruins are now 2-1 in the semifinal round of the league tournament and 5-3 overall in SoCon Championship matches.
- Going 13-2-1 over its last 16 outings, Belmont has scored 21 goals in its last nine affairs.
- Each of the last six meetings between the Bruins and the Spartans have been decided by a single goal.
- Belmont thwarted a UNC Greensboro squad that entered the match leading the country in goals, points, goal differential and points per match.
- Extending the program's single-season assist record to 10, Dagnoni notched his team-best 20th point of the season. The Milan, Italy, native owns 59 points for his four-year career, the second-most ever by a Bruin.
- O'Brien's goal was the 15th of his career, he is now tied with Dan Meacock (2008-11) for the fourth-most in Belmont history. Recording three points Sunday evening, the Freehold, New Jersey, native is now responsible for 34 points over four seasons, which moves him into ninth place among the Bruins' all-time points leaders.
Up Next
Belmont will take on second-seeded Mercer University in the 2021 SoCon Men's Soccer Championship title match next weekend, either Saturday, Nov. 13 or Sunday, Nov. 14, at Betts Stadium in Macon, Georgia. Match date and time will be announced Monday. The Bears (9-7-1) ousted visiting No. 3 seed Furman University 4-0 earlier Saturday in the other semifinal.
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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