SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – For 245 minutes throughout the season the Belmont University men's soccer team played scoreless soccer against the University of Evansville. However, that scoring drought ended late Thursday afternoon in the semifinals of the Missouri Valley Conference Men's Soccer Championship as the third-seeded Purple Aces (8-4-6, 3-2-3 MVC) found the back of the net on an improbable goal in the 65th minute.
Much like the two regular season matches between the two squads, Thursday's postseason contest at Betty & Bobby Allison South Stadium in Springfield, Missouri, featured elite defensive play by both teams. In fact, the two clubs combined for only four shots on target as possession seemed to favor neither side.
The fifth-seeded Bruins created chances to tie things up late but couldn't capitalize on shots inside the box. With the setback, Belmont completes its first season in the MVC with a 7-4-7 overall record after going 2-2-4 in league play.
After a scoreless first 45 minutes of action, Evansville freshman midfielder Ola Arntsen sprinted towards the top of the box 20 minutes into the second half chasing a deflected header by senior midfielder
Kyle Barks. Catching the ball slightly off the ground on a second bounce, Arntsen launched an absolute missile towards the right-side upper 90. Graduate goalkeeper
Nate Logan made a diving attempt at the ball, but its velocity found the space between Logan and the post for the 1-0 lead.
With seven of the Bruins' 10 total shots coming in the second half, Belmont had a flurry of opportunities from the 75th minute to the 82nd minute. Senior forward
Liam O'Brien had a great look at goal from just outside the six-yard box with a little over 15 minutes to go and senior midfielder
Jansen Wilson's deep strike sailed high.
Following a header by redshirt freshman defender
Dylan Steely in the 81st minute that went into the ground, junior attacking midfielder
AJ Chastonay nearly scored on a bicycle kick inside the six-yard box. His shot was blocked off the side of Raphaello Perez Colasito's head and proved to be Belmont's last real threat.
Logan finished with two saves.
Of Note
The Bruins were making their fourth-straight appearance in a conference tournament semifinal match. Belmont entered Thursday on a five-match unbeaten streak and had shut out its previous four opponents, which included the Purple Aces, to tie the program record for consecutive shutouts. Involved in 36 match victories, O'Brien completes his impressive five-year Bruin career as the winningest player in school history. Graduate midfielder
JP Armbruster, Barks and fellow senior midfielder
Corey Lavinder finish their Belmont careers with 32 match wins. O'Brien finishes with 22 career goals, tying Fernando Castellanos (2002-03) for the second-most ever by Bruin. O'Brien's 48 career points rank him fourth on Belmont's all-time scoring list.
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