Box Score NASHVILLE, Tenn. – A 43rd-minute right-footed dagger by sophomore midfielder AJ Chastonay propelled the Belmont University men's soccer team to its second-straight 1-0 shutout Monday night at E.S. Rose Park in Nashville. Creating a multitude of quality chances and thwarting a very formidable attack, the Bruins (2-2-0) defeated visiting Southern Illinois University Edwardsville in non-conference Labor Day action.
Belmont held its ground inside the box and once again allowed its superb defense to control momentum, gaining a host of opportunities to score. Those opportunities came early as the Bruins nearly took the lead in the first 25 minutes with a potent strike by senior forward Liam O'Brien in the 21st minute. However, a terrific save by the Cougars' Lluís Martorell kept the game scoreless.
Its most impressive attacking of the season, Belmont recorded 16 total shots and had seven on target.
"Tonight was a great collective effort from our group," spoke head coach David Costa following the win. "We have improved in every match we have played and to shut out a team of SIUE's attacking quality is a great accomplishment. We will now turn our focus to Georgia State and hope to continue to generate quality chances on goal."
After senior goalkeeper Drew Romig made an acrobatic save on clean kicked ball heading toward the right-side upper 90 in the 34th minute, sophomore defender Case Cox had a great look on a header off a set piece five minutes prior to halftime. Although his shot was dug out by Martorell, it would be just moments later that the Bruins would score.
With two-and-a-half minutes remaining before the break, senior forward Niccolo Dagnoni drove a perfectly placed go-ahead pass from around midfield to sophomore forward Tallyn Bronson, who swiftly fed a cross to Chastonay from just outside the upper right penalty box corner. Finding the far-right back of the net with his right foot from left of the pipes, Chastonay scored his first goal of the season to give Belmont a lead it would not relinquish.
Despite the goal, the opening 45 minutes were evenly contested. Both SIUE (1-2-1) and the Bruins had a trio of shots on goal in the first half with Belmont getting seven total shots and earning three corners.
The second half was dominated early by the Bruins, who racked up eight of their nine second-half shots in the first 15 minutes of play. A flurry of Belmont shots between the 50th and 60th minutes yielded no goals before the Bruins rode their defense to victory.
The Cougars, who entered Monday with a Missouri Valley Conference-best seven goals on the season, were limited to just two shots in the second half. With only one of the two on target, SIUE did not pose a real threat until its first second-half shot in the 69th minute.
Tallying seven corner kicks in the half, Belmont finished with 10 as the Cougars committed 19 fouls on the night with a pair of yellow cards in the 83rd minute.
Of Note
The Bruins have now won back-to-back games at Rose Park for four consecutive seasons. Bronson's assist on Chastonay's goal was the first of his collegiate career. Also claiming an assist on the score with his go-ahead pass, Dagnoni is now in sole possession of second place among Belmont's all-time assist leaders. He has 17 career assists and now owns 43 career points, moving into tie with Jeremy Littlejohn (1995-98) for fifth place in program history in points.
Up Next
Wrapping up their three-match homestand this weekend, the Bruins host Mid-American Conference member Georgia State Friday evening at 6:30 p.m. The match will be broadcast on ESPN+.
