Box Score NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Belmont men's soccer recorded a dominant 5-0 shutout of the VMI Keydets Tuesday night at E.S. Rose Park.
With the home victory, the Bruins (5-0-1, 2-0 SoCon) remain atop the conference standings and extended their unbeaten streak to a program record six matches.
Belmont was fueled by goals from five different players: Junior forward Niccolo Dagnoni, junior forward Ares Marlonsson, freshman midfielder AJ Chastonay, senior midfielder Esteban Lestido and freshman defender Austin Yowell.
The Bruins posted season highs in total shots (20), shots on frame (12), goals (5) and assists (6) in the conference win. Senior goalkeeper Drew Romig, the SoCon Defensive Player of the Week, registered his second straight clean sheet and third consecutive win in net for Belmont.
The Bruins' defense held VMI (2-4, 0-1 SoCon) to just four shots total, while only one shot fell on target.
Belmont exploded offensively to begin the match, as it scored three goals on its first three shot attempts. Dagnoni recorded his first goal of the season in the ninth minute on assists from sophomore midfielder Tanner Carlson and Chastonay to give the Bruins an early 1-0 lead.
Shortly after, the Bruins scored two goals in the 14th minute, which were separated by just 33 seconds of match time. Marlonsson tabbed a goal on services from senior midfielder Jack Shaw and freshman midfielder Michael Saunders, as Chastonay netted an unassisted goal seconds later to boost the Belmont advantage to 3-0.
The Bruins went on to put three more shots on target before the 32nd-minute mark, as the freshman duo of midfielder Tallyn Bronson and Yowell put shots on frame to end the first 45 minutes of action.
Through one half, Belmont posted 11 shots with eight shots on target, while it also led by a 3-1 margin in corner kick attempts.
The Bruins remained the aggressors to begin the second half, as Marlonsson tallied a pair of shot attempts within the first six minutes out of the break. Lestido broke through for his first goal of the season on an assist from Dagnoni in the 57th minute to extend the team's convincing lead to 4-0.
Belmont continued to pepper the Keydets with shots, as Yowell capped off the Bruins' dominant win with a goal in the 88th minute. Yowell's header found the back of the net off a corner kick from senior midfielder Nigel Leo to help Belmont to a 5-0 win.
OFFENSIVE ONSLAUGHT: The Bruins' five goals in Tuesday's match marked their highest goal total since Aug. 27, 2017, when they defeated Niagara by a score of 6-1. Tuesday's win was also their largest margin of victory since 2017.
ON A ROLL: Belmont's current six-match unbeaten streak is its best start in program history and longest streak of results in school history. The Bruins' best streak prior to this season came in 2007, when it tallied a 3-0-2 record over a five-match span.
LARGE MARGIN: Belmont's 5-0 win on Tuesday came as its largest margin of victory by shutout since Sept. 18, 2001, when it posted a 6-0 victory at Lipscomb.
UP NEXT: The Bruins return to action next Tuesday, as they take on the ETSU Buccaneers for a SoCon road match at 2 p.m. CT.
