Belmont at Central Arkansas | Sunday, Aug. 29 | 6:00 p.m.
Conway, Arkansas | Bill Stephens Soccer Complex
Video ($) | Live Stats | Match Notes
CONWAY, Ark. – After kicking off its 2021 fall campaign Thursday night at 12th-ranked Missouri State, the Belmont University men's soccer team remains away from the Music City and travels to Conway, Arkansas, Sunday for a 6 p.m. tilt at the University of Central Arkansas.
Both live streaming and in-game statistics of the non-conference road match at the Bill Stephens Soccer Complex will be available on UCASports.com. However, there is a $5.95 fee (one-day pass) for the live stream.
What's Bruin
- The Bruins (0-1-0) look to rebound from their season opener, a 3-1 setback at top-15 ranked Missouri State.
- Despite the outcome Thursday night in Springfield, Missouri, Belmont played an excellent first half and struck first when senior forward Niccolo Dagnoni found the back of the net with a fabulous kick into the far-right upper 90 from just inside the left-hand corner of the penalty box. His rocket shot put the Bruins ahead 1-0 in the 11th minute before the host Bears evened things up with a set piece header just nine minutes later in the 20th. Missouri State would go on to score twice in the second half to secure the season-opening win as the Bears got back-to-back goals from Jon Koka within 40 seconds of each other in the 72nd and 73rd minutes.
- Dagnoni's first-half goal in Missouri represented his 13th of his career and moved him into a seventh-place tie for goals in program history with Brian Holmes and Channing Twyner.
- Now with 41 career points, Dagnoni is in sixth place in school history in all-time points.
- Sophomore defender Case Cox, a first-year transfer from Kentucky, had the assist on Dagnoni's goal Thursday. It was his first assist of both his Belmont and collegiate career.
- Sunday will be the seventh all-time regular season meeting between the Bruins and Central Arkansas with the two teams deadlocked at 2-2-2 in the series.
- Belmont will be making only its second regular season trip to Conway, Arkansas, but opened its 2018 season with exhibition contest at UCA. In 2019, the Bruins hosted the Bears to start preseason play.
- This past spring, Belmont played UCA to a scoreless draw after 110 minutes of action at E.S. Rose Park in Nashville on Feb. 25.
- Sunday evening will be the second-straight outing for the Bruins against a team nicknamed the Bears.
About the Bears
- UCA (1-0-0) began its fall with a 4-3 home victory over the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV). Senior defender Alberto Suarez accounted for two of the four goals as the Bears took a 4-1 lead in the 49th minute before the Vaqueros made things interesting with scores in the 68th and 70th minutes.
- In its first year in the ASUN Conference, UCA was picked to finish seventh among the eight-team league ahead of Stetson. Suarez, a native of Zaragoza, Spain, was tabbed preseason All-ASUN.
- Going 6-9-2 overall during the unique 2020-21 season, the Bears posted a 3-3 record in conference play to finish third in the four-team Sun Belt Conference.
Up Next
Belmont returns to the Music City next week for a three-game homestand beginning Thursday evening. The Bruins welcome Big South Conference member UNC Asheville to Rose Park for their home opener Thursday, Sept. 2 at 6:30 p.m.
