Box Score NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Winning its fifth-straight at home, the Belmont University men's soccer team claimed yet another one-goal shutout at E.S. Rose Park with a 1-0 non-conference victory over Bellarmine University Wednesday evening. Extending the program record for consecutive home wins, the Bruins (5-3-1) got remarkable performances from sophomore forward Esteban Leiva and senior goalkeeper Drew Romig.
A 73rd-minute game-winning strike from Leiva and a fantastic save by Romig on a penalty kick in the closing minutes were the two decisive plays of the competitive 90 minutes of action.
Following a first half that didn't warrant many opportunities for either team to score, the second half did not disappoint in what was a thrilling final 45 minutes. After the visiting Knights (4-4-1) nearly took a 1-0 lead early in the match, Belmont got two looks from Leiva in the closing minutes of the half.
Bellarmine defender Rikard Cederberg threatened just minutes in with a shot into the lower left that was saved by a diving Romig. Cederberg would have another shot that went wide right moments later in the fifth minute before midfielder Micah Linscott hit the side of the net on an open path in the right portion of the 18-yard box. All four of the Knights' first-half shots came in the opening 25 minutes.
The Bruins began to settle in defensively midway through the first half as Bellarmine's chances quickly diminished. Limited in its attacks until late in the half, Belmont showed much more energy as the half progressed. Leiva put both a foot and a head on the ball in the 44th and 45th minutes but came up empty handed. The two teams combined for only six shots in the first half of play.
Getting into the attacking third early and often in the second half, Leiva barely missed on a pair of touches inside the box in the 58th and 59th minutes before senior forward Liam O'Brien poked a header on target in the 62nd.
Holding the Knights to only one shot in the first 25 minutes of the second half, the Bruins broke through in the 73rd with Leiva's first goal in a Belmont uniform. Senior forward Niccolo Dagnoni set the play up with a pass to senior midfielder/defender Jack Shaw, who connected with Leiva for his third assist of the season. Leiva launched the ball in stride from inside the right side of the penalty box as his shot crossed the goal line and headed into the far lower left corner of the net.
The lead was almost short lived with Bellarmine quickly getting into position for an equalizer. The Knights nearly tied things up a minute-and-a-half later when Jack Fischer sent a straight-line missile just to the right of the post. In the 77th, Bellarmine's Brendan Schoemehl had a distant center shot sky over the crossbar.
With the Bruins attempting to keep the Knights away from their goal area in the most important stretch of the match, Belmont found itself in a precarious position after a Romig save on a shot by Bellarmine forward Juan Ballas. During the rebound of Ballas' shot, a foul was called on the Bruins inside the box. Linscott stepped up to take the penalty kick and Romig guessed right, diving to his left to make a game-winning save. The ball was then headed high and well off target to the left with Romig sliding over to secure the match.
A clean contest without a card issued to either team, Belmont did not earn a corner kick for the first time of the season. The Knights posted two corners and held a 9-6 advantage in total shots with both squads recording three shots on goal.
Romig finished with a trio of saves.
Of Note
The Bruins closed out September with a 5-1-1 record for the month. Having won eight of its last 10 home matches, Belmont is now 14-7-3 at Rose Park since the start of the 2018 season. Sophomore midfielder AJ Chastonay is now 2-0 versus his father, Tim, who is the longtime head coach of Bellarmine. Also earning an assist on Leiva's late-game goal, Dagnoni registered the 19th of his career. He is now only six away from tying Nico Olsak (2010-13) for the most ever by a Bruin. The Milan, Italy, native also now owns 49 career points and is in sole possession of third place among Belmont's all-time points leaders. Dagnoni needs five more points to move into a tie for second place on the all-time list.
Up Next
The Bruins step back into Southern Conference play this weekend when Belmont travels to Virginia Military Institute Saturday for a 1 p.m. CT kickoff in Lexington, Virginia. The match will be broadcast on ESPN+.
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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