Bruins Step Out of MVC Play for Road Tilt at Bellarmine Wednesday

 
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Closing out its challenging three-match road swing, the Belmont University men's soccer team steps out of Missouri Valley Conference play Wednesday evening for a non-conference matchup at Bellarmine University. Kickoff from Owsley B. Frazier Stadium in Louisville, Kentucky, is slated for 5:30 p.m. CT/6:30 p.m. ET.
 
The midweek road tilt will be broadcast on ESPN+ with live statistics of the contest available on BelmontBruins.com.
 
What's Bruin

• Looking to extend their non-conference unbeaten streak to four, the Bruins (5-3-4) go for their third-straight non-conference win. Winning each of its last two non-conference matches on the road, at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (2-1) on Sept. 20 and at UNC Asheville (2-1) on Sept. 10, Belmont played now 12th-ranked Lipscomb to a scoreless draw at home on Sept. 6.
• At 3-3 on the season away from the Music City, the Bruins seek their fourth road result of 2022.
• After beginning the month of October with a pair of home draws versus the University of Illinois Chicago (3-3) and Evansville (0-0), Belmont has suffered back-to-back 2-0 road setbacks at then 19th-ranked Missouri State (Oct. 9) and Drake this past Saturday afternoon.
• In their first-ever trip to Des Moines, Iowa, last weekend, the Bruins were unable to find the back of the net despite creating high-quality chances in the opening 15 minutes and the first 30 minutes of the second half. Junior defender Case Cox, who began the month with his first career hat trick versus UIC (Oct. 1), had two of Belmont's best looks at goal against the host Bulldogs. Senior midfielder Jansen Wilson nearly knocked in an equalizer just 30 seconds into the second half of the MVC road match.
• In this week's United Soccer Coaches West Region poll, the Bruins are ranked eighth. Belmont is one of four MVC teams ranked in the region's top 10 with nationally-ranked Missouri State leading the way in second place, followed by Drake seventh and Evansville ninth.
• Four different Bruins have collected a total of five MVC player of the week awards this season – graduate goalkeeper Nate Logan (defensive, Aug. 30 and Sept. 27), senior defender John Bannec (defensive, Sept. 13), junior midfielder Michael Saunders (offensive, Sept. 27) and most recently Cox (offensive, Oct. 4).
• Wilson has emerged as one of the top facilitators in the nation and ranks among the country's best. His six assists on the season are 27th-most nationally and he also ranks 27th in the nation in assists per match (0.50).
• A fifth-year senior, forward Liam O'Brien is just one Belmont victory away from becoming the Bruins' all-time winningest player. He has been involved in 34 match wins over five seasons and is tied with recent program graduates Ares Marlonsson (2017-21) and Esteban Lestido (2017-21) for the most triumphs while donning the Belmont jersey. Graduate midfielder JP Armbruster and senior midfielders Kyle Barks and Corey Lavinder, who began their Bruin careers in 2019, aren't too far behind with 30 match wins.
• In the second NCAA RPI (Ratings Power Index) of the season, Belmont is ranked 92nd as the second-highest ranked MVC squad. The Bears of Missouri State lead the league with an RPI of No. 25, while Drake (101) and UIC (106) sit just outside the top 100 in the RPI rankings.
• Junior attacking midfielder AJ Chastonay has family ties to the Bellarmine men's soccer program as his father, Tim Chastonay, is in his 25th season as the head coach of the Knights. At the helm of the program since 1998, the elder Chastonay is the winningest coach in school history with a 225-179-46 overall record. After leading Bellarmine to 208 victories over 22 seasons in Division II, Chastonay was named spring 2021 ASUN Conference Coach of the Year following the Knights' inaugural Division I campaign.
• In his collegiate debut on Feb. 21, 2021, the younger Chastonay notched a brace against his father's team as he helped lead the Bruins to a 3-0 road shutout of Bellarmine to begin the unique 2020-21 spring season. AJ scored in the 57th minute and put Belmont up 2-0 in the 79th.
• Both Cox and Wilson also call the Bluegrass State home with Cox hailing from Louisville and Wilson a native of Elizabethtown (Elizabethtown HS), which is about 45 miles south of the city. Chastonay, Cox and Wilson were all teammates while competing for Javanon FC and took the club to the national semifinals. The trio played youth soccer in the Louisville area and Chastonay and Cox were teammates at Saint Xavier High School.
• Wednesday will be the fourth all-time meeting between the two programs with the Bruins holding a 2-1 lead in the series.
• Belmont's only other trip to Bellarmine was the Bruins' 3-0 win in February of 2021.
• Last season, Belmont earned a 1-nil victory over the visiting Knights at E.S. Rose Park on Sept. 29, 2021. Junior forward Esteban Leiva scored his first goal as a Bruin with a 73rd-minute strike.
• Bellarmine's lone regular season win over Belmont came on Sept. 11, 1994, when the Knights claimed a 4-0 triumph in Nashville.

About the Knights

• On a six-match unbeaten streak, Bellarmine has given up just one goal since Sept. 17. Following four consecutive match wins, the Knights have tied their last two opponents.
• Bellarmine played Stetson to a scoreless draw at home on Oct. 8 and last Saturday the Knights tied North Florida 1-1 in Jacksonville, Florida.
• With a 6-3-3 overall record and five-straight shutouts from Sept. 20-Oct. 8, Bellarmine is tied for third place in the ASUN. The Knights own eight league points and are 2-2-2 in conference play.
• Bellarmine has faced three common opponents, earning a 2-2 home draw with Evansville in its season opener and defeating both Purdue University Fort Wayne (Sept. 20) and Southern Indiana (Oct. 4) in 2-0 outings in Louisville. The Bruins began their fall campaign with a 2-0 home shutout of the Screaming Eagles and tied the Mastodons 1-1 at Rose Park on Aug. 28. Belmont played the Purple Aces to a scoreless draw in its most recent home match on Oct. 5.
• At Frazier Stadium this season, the Knights have gone 4-1-2.
• Picked to finish eighth in the nine-team ASUN, Bellarmine went 7-8-2 overall and 2-4-1 in league play last fall while tying for sixth place in the final conference standings.
• Redshirt junior forward Nolan McGrath leads the Knights with four goals, while junior midfielder Jack Fischer owns four assists. Bellarmine also features sophomore defender Rikard Cederberg, who was an ASUN All-Freshman Team selection a season ago.

Up Next
The Bruins return to Nashville and the friendly confines of Rose Park this weekend for a senior day matchup with No. 18 Missouri State. Belmont's six-man class will be honored prior to the match with kickoff set for 2 p.m. The MVC home match will be broadcast live on ESPN3.
 
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