Men's Soccer Travels to IUPUI for Tuesday Afternoon Tilt

 
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Beginning a two-match week on the road, the Belmont University men's soccer team heads to Indianapolis, Indiana, to face Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis in non-conference action Tuesday afternoon. Fresh off a win in their Missouri Valley Conference opener, the Bruins (3-1-2) seek their second road result of the season. Kickoff from Michael A. Carroll Stadium is set for 2 p.m. CT/3 p.m. ET.
 
The matinee road match will be streamed live on ESPN+ with live statistics available on BelmontBruins.com.
 
What's Bruin

• Over the weekend, Belmont claimed the school's first MVC victory in any sport since becoming full league members in July. The Bruins defeated visiting Bradley University 2-1 at E.S. Rose Park Saturday evening, extending their home unbeaten streak to 14. The match was the first MVC contest held in Nashville since Belmont joined the conference.
• It took the Bruins just 10 minutes of MVC action to score their first goal in the league when sophomore defender Dylan Steely connected on a header in the 10th minute off a free kick feed from senior midfielder Jansen Wilson. The score was Steely's first career goal.
• Belmont took a 2-0 lead on the Braves when senior forward Liam O'Brien found the back of the net in the 59th minute on a pass into the box from junior midfielder Michael Saunders. A splendid first half of defense by the Bruins held Bradley to a single corner kick and only one shot, but the Braves made it a one-goal affair in the 80th minute with a left-side upper 90 strike on a free kick from just outside the top of the box.
• With the win, Belmont improved to 3-0-2 in its last five league openers, including the Bruins' four-year run in the Southern Conference. Head coach David Costa improved to 3-0-1 in conference openers.
• O'Brien's second-half goal Saturday against Bradley was the 20th of his career. He is only two goals shy of tying second-place leader Fernando Castellanos (22) on Belmont's all-time goals list. With 44 career points, O'Brien is in sixth place among the Bruins' all-time points leaders.
• On Saturday, Sept. 10, Belmont earned its first road triumph of the season with a resilient 2-1 win at UNC Asheville in extremely wet conditions.
• The Bruins have Indiana ties as both junior Eric Stiles (Columbus, Indiana) and senior defender John Bannec (Bloomington, Indiana) are from within 60 miles of Indianapolis. Bannec and senior midfielder Kyle Barks transferred to Belmont from Big Ten Conference member Indiana University.
• Tuesday's match will be the fifth all-time meeting between the Bruins and IUPUI with Belmont holding a slight 2-1-1 lead in the series. The Bruins are 1-0 against the Jaguars in Indianapolis, picking up a 1-nil road victory on Oct. 15, 2017. The match was a conference contest as Belmont was a member of the Horizon League at the time. The Bruins spent four seasons in the Horizon League from 2014-17.
• Last season, Belmont scored four times against IUPUI when the Jaguars visited the Music City on Oct. 5. Extending their home winning streak to six, the Bruins recorded a trio of second-half goals and had four different players find the back of the net. Junior midfielder AJ Chastonay scored in the closing seconds of the first half before Saunders (50'), O'Brien (60') and midfielder/defender Esteban Lestido (65') tacked on goals.

About the Jaguars

• IUPUI enters the week on seven days rest and is coming off a 2-0 road setback at recent MVC member Loyola Chicago last Tuesday night. Despite the loss, the Jaguars have gotten a result in three of their last four matches.
• With a 1-2-3 overall record and a 0-0-1 mark in Horizon League play, IUPUI defeated Eastern Illinois 5-1 at home before tying Western Illinois (3-3) and Wright State (2-2). The Jaguars also have a tie versus NAIA Marian University (2-2) in their season opener on Aug. 25 and were handed a 3-1 loss at fellow MVC member Evansville (Aug. 28).
• After going 3-12-1 overall and 2-8 in conference play in 2021, IUPUI was picked to finish last in the 10-team Horizon League according to the league's preseason poll. The Jaguars finished 10th in the then 11-team conference last season.
• Led by first-year head coach Sid van Druenen, IUPUI features redshirt freshman forward Josemir Gomez, who has scored four of the Jaguars' 13 goals this season, and junior midfielder Lukas Hackaa, who leads the team in points (10) with a trio of goals and a team-best four assists. Junior forward Logan Finnegan owns two goals and has assisted on a pair of scores.

Up Next
Belmont returns to MVC play Saturday when the Bruins travel to Southern Illinois University Edwardsville for a 7 p.m. kickoff at Ralph Korte Stadium.
 
Follow Belmont men's soccer on social media – @BelmontMSoccer on Twitter, @belmontmsoccer on Instagram and Belmont University Men's Soccer on Facebook – 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.