Box Score GREENVILLE, S.C. – Fourth-seeded Belmont men's soccer took down the No. 1 seed Furman Paladins, 3-1, in the SoCon Men's Soccer Championship semifinals Friday evening at Eugene Stone Soccer Stadium.
With the victory over the 25th-ranked Paladins, the Bruins (7-2-2) secured their first ever appearance in a conference tournament title match.
Belmont was fueled by goals from three different players, including junior forward Liam O'Brien and the freshman midfielder duo of AJ Chastonay and Michael Saunders. In total, the Bruins finished with 10 shots, six on target and held Furman (7-2-1) to just three shots on frame.
Despite three corner kicks from the opposition and a shot in the first eight minutes, O'Brien tallied the go-ahead goal for Belmont with a header on a service from Shaw in the 10th minute. The Paladins fired another shot just six minutes later, but it would not test the Bruin goal.
Furman got its best look in the 18th minute, but the ball soared wide right of the Belmont goal post. Saunders then charged into the Paladin box looking to dish out an assist in the 22nd minute, but the ball was cleared out.
The Bruins tabbed their first corner kick attempt of the match five minutes later, as another trip into the Furman box was unsuccessful. Junior forward Niccolo Dagnoni recorded a shot on target from the top of the box in the 39th minute, but it was corralled by the goalkeeper to keep the Belmont lead at 1-0 going into halftime.
In the first 45 minutes, the Bruins held the Paladins without a shot on target, while Belmont finished with both of its two shots on frame. Furman led the corner kick column by a 3-2 margin, as the Bruins looked to finish strong in the second half.
Following nearly four minutes of back-and-forth, the Paladins racked up three straight shots over two minutes, none of which warranted saving by Belmont. The Bruins nearly answered in the 53rd minute, as senior midfielder Esteban Lestido's shot off a free kick soared over the crossbar.
Furman tested Belmont once again beginning in the 57th minute, when it registered consecutive shots in a one-minute span. Still, the Bruins held the Paladins without a shot on target.
In the 62nd minute, Furman broke through courtesy of freshman forward Jake Raine, who finished on a cross into the box.
Dagnoni nearly put Belmont back ahead on a volley from the top of the box in the 67th minute but missed wide. Shaw added another shot off a cross from Saunders just one minute later. Despite a drawn penalty kick for the Bruins, Dagnoni's attempt was saved in the 72nd minute.
The Paladins fired three shots over the next three minutes, as senior goalkeeper Drew Romig only needed to save one of the Furman attempts. Junior forward Ares Marlonsson first shot of match was saved in the 79th minute after an impressive run to the net.
Following a corner kick from Shaw, Chastonay found the back of the net in the 79th minute through traffic on a failed clearance from Furman to put Belmont up 2-1. Saunders doubled the lead and secured the win for the Bruins in the 89th minute on assists from Chastonay and Marlonsson.
HISTORY MADE: Belmont advanced to its first-ever conference tournament title and SoCon Tournament championship match with its win over the top-seeded Paladins on Friday.
RANKED VICTORY: The Bruins tabbed their first win over a ranked opponent since Sept. 29, 2011, when it defeated No. 22 East Tennessee State by a score of 3-1 at home.
TRIFECTA: With three goals on Furman, Belmont became only the second team this season to net three goals against the Paladins. The Bruins also ended Furman's shutout streak, which spanned four matches.
UP NEXT: The Bruins take on the winner of Saturday's conference tournament semifinal match between two-seed UNC Greensboro and No. 3 seed East Tennessee State. The title match is scheduled for either April 16 or 17.
