Bruins Face Top-25 Western Michigan Friday Afternoon on the Road

 
KALAMAZOO, Mich. – Returning to match action, the Belmont University men's soccer team closes out the road portion of its regular season Friday afternoon at top-25 ranked Western Michigan University. Kickoff from the WMU Soccer Complex in Kalamazoo, Michigan is set for 2:30 p.m. CT.
 
The Missouri Valley Conference road content will be broadcast live on Bronco All-Access, Western Michigan's streaming platform, and live stats of the match can be followed by visiting BelmontBruins.com.
 
What's Bruin

• The second of consecutive weekends on the road, the Bruins (8-5-2, 3-3-0 MVC) are seeking their second MVC road triumph of the season after dropping a single-goal affair at Northern Illinois last Sunday afternoon.
• Last weekend's loss to the Huskies in Illinois snapped Belmont's three-match MVC winning streak.
• An own goal in the 22nd minute against Northern Illinois proved to be the difference as the Bruins had won five of their previous six matches. The 1-0 setback was Belmont's first shutout defeat since Sept. 22 at top-10 ranked Missouri State.
• The Bruins have not conceded multiple goals in seven of their last eight outings.
• Belmont scored the opening goal in 10 of its first 14 matches of the season.
• The Bruins are 3-4 in true road matches this season and 4-4-1 away from Nashville.
• With a 1-0 win over visiting Bellarmine University last Tuesday (Oct. 17), Belmont completed its regular season non-conference schedule 5-2-2.
• With just two matches remaining in the regular season, the Bruins sit in fifth place in the Valley standings with nine conference points. Belmont is only three points out of third place, which is currently occupied by Bowling Green (4-2-0 MVC).
• The Bruins are 20th in the country in shot accuracy with 84 of their 170 shots on the season landing on target (.494).
• Senior defender Colton Milosch has earned his first career starts in the last two matches, competing on the field in all 180 minutes.
• Six different Belmont players have scored in the Bruins' last five matches – senior midfielder Sam Rowan (2), senior forward Ayden von Essen (1), sophomore forward Brock Kiper (1), graduate forward Case Cox (1), graduate midfielder Jansen Wilson (2) and junior defender Alex Clayton (1).
• Having a breakout season, Kiper leads Belmont in goals (5) and is second on the team in points (11). His trio of game-winning goals are tied for 26th-most nationally.
• Wilson, who registered his first career brace in the 3-1 win at Bradley on Oct. 6, leads the Bruins with 13 points this fall. He is second on the team in both goals (4) and assists (5).
• Sophomore defender Dylan Steely has had plenty of offensive production this year, either scoring or assisting on a goal in his last four matches. With three goals and three assists on the season, he is third on the team in points (9).
• Junior goalkeeper Grant Calvert ranks among the top 45 keepers in the nation in three key statistical categories. He is 20th nationally in saves (58), 32nd in saves per match (4.14) and 41st in save percentage (.773).
• In the fifth NCAA RPI (Rating Percentage Index) of the season, which was released Monday morning, Belmont is one of five MVC teams in the top 100. The Bruins remain in the top 80 and are now ranked 76th, while Missouri State leads the Valley with the 25th-best RPI in the nation.
• The Broncos enter the weekend at No. 33 in the RPI.
• Eight of Belmont's first 12 matches of the year were away from the Music City.

 
Versus Western Michigan

• Friday afternoon will be the first-ever meeting between the two programs.

 
About the Broncos

• Western Michigan is ranked 23rd in the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 poll, 17th in the College Soccer News Top 30 Poll and 20th in the Top Drawer Soccer top-25 national rankings.
• The Broncos (11-1-3) are on a 14-match unbeaten streak and lead the MVC with a 5-0-1 Valley record.
• Winners of four straight, Western Michigan is coming off a 2-1 road victory at No. 10 Missouri State last Sunday. In their first season as inaugural members of the MVC, the Broncos knocked off the four-time defending Valley regular season and three-time defending conference tournament champion Bears on their home field. Missouri State had not lost a match to an MVC opponent since April 8, 2021. Western Michigan halted the Bears' 29-match undefeated streak against league opponents.
• The Broncos' lone defeat on the year came in the season opener at 12th-ranked Vermont (2-0).
• In Valley play, the lone team to earn a result versus Western Michigan is Evansville who played the Broncos to a 2-2 draw at home on Oct. 7.
• Last season, Western Michigan won the Mid-American Conference Championship and reached the round of 16 at the NCAA Championship with first and second-round wins at Louisville and Lipscomb.
• The Broncos are the seventh team on the Bruins' schedule who made at least one of the last two NCAA Championships – Georgia State (Aug. 24), Memphis (Sept. 8), Missouri State (Sept. 22), Lipscomb (Oct. 10), Bowling Green (Oct. 14), Northern Illinois (Oct. 22) and Western Michigan (Oct. 27).
• Western Michigan's 34 goals on the season are the 10th-most in the nation and the Broncos rank second nationally in assists (47) and eighth in shutout percentage (.533).
• Forwards Dylan Sing and Charlie Sharp, both All-MAC performers a year ago, lead the MVC in goals. Graduate Sing leads all of Division I men's soccer in both game-winning goals (6) and shot accuracy (.710), while ranking fifth in goals scored (12). Senior Sharp, the reigning MVC Offensive Player of the Week, ranks 15th in the nation with 10 goals on the season.
• Redshirt junior defender Jonathan Robinson's nine assists this fall are fifth-most nationally.
• Graduate goalkeeper Ethan Brandt owns seven shutouts on the year.

 
Up Next
Belmont closes out the regular season at home next Wednesday against Evansville. Kickoff from E.S. Rose Park is slated for 6:30 p.m. and the Valley matchup will be broadcast on ESPN+.
 
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.