Men's Soccer Shuts Out No. 18 Missouri State on Senior Day Sunday

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – It had been nearly four years since the Missouri State men's soccer team was played to a draw in Missouri Valley Conference action and on Sunday afternoon the Belmont University men's soccer team shut out the visiting Bears in a scoreless tie at E.S. Rose Park. Snapping 18th-ranked Missouri State's 15-match win streak in MVC play, the Bruins (5-3-6, 2-2-3 MVC) put together one of their finest defensive efforts on senior day against one of the nation's best offensive squads.

Extending its home unbeaten streak to 17, Belmont kept the Bears (9-1-3, 5-0-1 MVC) out of the net in the Music City as graduate goalkeeper Nate Logan recorded his fifth clean sheet of the season and made a career-high seven saves between the pipes.

Inspired defensive play by sophomore defender Dylan Steely and freshman defender Riley Clothier, in conjunction with the Bruins' experienced senior leadership, proved to be the perfect recipe to slow down Missouri State. Belmont created chances to score throughout the afternoon with six shots, four of which were on target, but just like Logan, the Bears' goalkeeper Harry Townsend made several great plays.
 
Missouri State posted 10 shots across the 90 minutes and put seven on goal but was limited to a single shot on target in the second half. Coming up with six saves on the Bears' seven shots in the first half, the Bruins registered a pair of shots on goal in each half. Withstanding six Missouri State corner kicks, including four in the first half, Belmont earned two corners, both of which came in the opening 45 minutes.

The Bruins had their first opportunity 15 minutes in when senior forward Liam O'Brien nearly got past keeper Townsend off a beautiful touch from junior attacking midfielder AJ Chastonay. Despite not scoring, O'Brien gave Belmont its first corner of the afternoon. In the 41st minute, senior midfielder Jansen Wilson had a left-footed strike shallow in the box that required a diving save in the bottom right corner.

Just 10 seconds into the second half, Wilson launched a ball from 25 yards out that went flying towards the center of goal before being caught. The Bruins' final chance came in the 86th minute when junior defender Case Cox had a left-footed boot from 30 yards out on the left wing that was saved in the upper right corner.

Held to three second-half shots, the Bears had two shots on goal in the first 10 minutes of action. Thanks to a diving save on Missouri State's second shot and a pair of acrobatic punchouts by Logan, Belmont was able to keep the nationally-ranked Bears scoreless.

?? | Seniors @kyle_barks and @JBannec following the Bruins' scoreless draw with nationally-ranked Missouri State Sunday afternoon on senior day at ?? ???????? ???#ItsBruinTime pic.twitter.com/yu4iksfOOy

— Belmont Men's Soccer (@BelmontMSoccer) October 24, 2022

Of Note
The last time Missouri State was tied in a MVC match was on Oct. 27, 2018, when the Bears were played to a scoreless draw at Drake. Missouri State entered the match 32-1-0 in MVC regular season matches since the start of the 2019 season, the best league run nationally during that period. The Bears had not been shut out by a conference opponent since April 8, 2021, when former MVC member Loyola University Chicago defeated Missouri State 2-0 in Springfield, Missouri. The scoreless draw snapped the Bears' seven-match road win streak, which was tied for the longest active streak in all of NCAA men's soccer. The Bruins earned their second scoreless draw against a top-25 opponent this season after tying then 17th-ranked Lipscomb at home in the 25th Battle of the Boulevard on Sept. 6. Belmont owns three ties against nationally-ranked foes in program history after playing No. 22 Lipscomb to a 1-1 draw down the road on Belmont Boulevard last season (Sept. 14, 2021). The Bruins' 17-match home unbeaten streak dates back to March 30, 2021, and Belmont has outscored its opponents 24-8 at Rose Park during that span. Getting a result in 19 of their last 21 home matches, the Bruins are 20-7-8 at Rose Park since the start of the 2018 season. Belmont owns 10 home shutouts and 14 total in two seasons. Sunday's draw is the Bruins' third consecutive tie at home. Belmont has earned a draw in four of its last six matches. Senior midfielder John Bannec, graduate midfielder JP Armbruster, senior midfielder Kyle Barks, senior forward Liam O'Brien, senior midfielder Corey Lavinder and graduate goalkeeper Nate Logan were all honored on the pitch prior to the match for senior day recognition.

Up Next
The Bruins close out their regular season home schedule Wednesday when Belmont hosts Eastern Illinois for a non-conference tilt at 6:30 p.m. The match will be broadcast live from Rose Park on ESPN+.
 
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