Box Score NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Belmont men's soccer clinched a spot 2021 SoCon Men's Soccer Championship with a 1-0 shutout of the Mercer Bears Saturday night at E.S. Rose Park.
The Bruins (6-2-2, 3-2-1 SoCon) advance to the semifinals of the conference tournament as a No. 4 seed to face Furman on Friday, April 9. Belmont will make its second straight appearance in the conference tournament semifinals for the first time program history.
Junior forward Jordan Dozzi led the Bruins with his first goal of the season in the 33rd minute on an assist from senior midfielder Jack Shaw. Senior goalkeeper Drew Romig tallied his fourth clean sheet of the season with four saves.
The Bears (4-9-1, 2-3-1 SoCon) were held to just eight shots total, while Belmont logged 10 shots with five on target for the evening.
To start the match, senior midfielder Esteban Lestido and junior forward Ares Marlonsson tabbed three shots in the first 15 minutes, as two shots tested the Mercer keeper. The Bears registered their first shot of the match in the 16th minute, when Romig corralled his first save of the match.
Dozzi lifted the Bruins on top, 1-0, with a volley goal off a service from Shaw in the 33rd minute. Romig corralled his second save of the first half in the 39th minute to keep Belmont in the driver's seat going into halftime.
At half, the Bruins stayed ahead of Mercer by a score of 1-0, as they fired four shots with three on target in the first 45 minutes.
Following a shot from the Bears, a header from freshman defender Eric Stiles nearly found the net in the 51st minute but fell wide. Lestido fired another shot just five minutes later, which also missed right of the goal.
Freshman midfielder Michael Saunders dribbled past the Bears' defense to put a shot on frame in the 61st minute, but the Mercer goalkeeper laid out to make an impressive save and keep the score at 1-0.
Shaw followed up with a shot on target in the latter half of the 62nd minute but was unable to find the back of the net. The Bears had a pair of shot opportunities blocked in the 70th minute, as Stiles fired another shot via header one minute later.
Freshman forward Austin Yowell tabbed his first shot of the night in the 80th minute, as Belmont would hold to record a 1-0 win and its third home shutout this year. Overall, the Bruins finished with 10 shots and five shots on frame, as they were whistled for just nine fouls on the night.
SHUTOUT HISTORY: With its shutout of Mercer, Belmont tied the program record for the most clean sheets in a season (6). Additionally, the Bruins reached six shutouts in 2003, 2004 and 2007.
BACK-TO-BACK: Belmont will make back-to-back conference tournament semifinals appearances for the first time in program history this Friday. It also received its highest seed (No. 4) since joining the SoCon in 2018.
UP NEXT: The Bruins return to action in the 2021 SoCon Men's Championship semifinals on Friday against top-seeded Furman. Kickoff is slated for 5 p.m. in Greenville, S.C.
