Bruins Head to Alabama for UAB’s Soccer for the Cure Classic

 
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Off to a 1-0-1 start, the Belmont University men's soccer team hits the road for the first time of the regular season this weekend as the Bruins travel to Birmingham, Alabama, for the University of Alabama at Birmingham's Soccer for the Cure Classic. Playing two matches across three days, Belmont faces Houston Christian Friday at 4:30 p.m. before taking on Chicago State Sunday at 11 a.m.
 
Both matches will be played on the campus of Birmingham-Southern College at Goldfarb Field at Berylson Soccer Park.
 
The weekend matches will be streamed live on Stretch Internet and live stats of the contests can be followed by visiting BelmontBruins.com.
 
What's Bruin

• The Bruins got their 2023 campaign underway last week at E.S. Rose Park with an opening-night 1-0 victory over Georgia State last Thursday and a 1-1 draw with Florida Atlantic Sunday evening.
• Improving its nation-leading home unbeaten streak to 20 matches, Belmont tamed a high-scoring FAU squad that had scored six goals in its opener at rival Lipscomb.
• Sophomore forward Brock Kiper scored both of the Bruins' goals in week one of the season, notching a first-half header in both matches.
• For his opening week efforts, Kiper was tabbed both Missouri Valley Conference Offensive Player of the Week and Tennessee Sports Writers Association (TSWA) Player of the Week. In only a little over 70 minutes on the pitch, Kiper went 2-for-3 on his shots with all three attempts on target.
• Belmont is returning to Birmingham for the second time in two weeks after defeating UAB 2-1 in its final exhibition match on Friday, Aug. 18 at the Blazers' PNC Field.
• Freshman goalkeeper Drew Vinson, who is a product of Homewood High School in Homewood, Alabama, and sophomore defender Dylan Steely, who hails from Hoover, Alabama, are both from the Birmingham area.
• Vinson's father, Greg Vinson, is the head coach of the Birmingham-Southern men's soccer team where he is in his eighth season leading the program after serving as an assistant coach for 20 years.
• The Bruins went 2-0 in exhibition play, shutting out the University of Alabama in Huntsville 2-0 at home before going on the road and getting the win at UAB.
• Graduate forward Case Cox, who accounted for three of Belmont's four goals in the preseason, was named to the 2023 Hermann Trophy Watch List last week. One of only five MVC players selected to the prestigious 37-man preseason watch list, Cox was also tabbed a Player to Watch by United Soccer Coaches. He was an All-West Region First Team and All-MVC Second Team performer last fall and made this year's Preseason All-MVC Team. The Hermann Trophy is awarded annually by the Missouri Athletic Club (MAC) and is the highest individual honor in collegiate soccer recognizing the National Player of the Year.

 
Versus Houston Christian

• Friday afternoon will be the third all-time meeting between the Bruins and the Huskies.
• Houston Christian, formerly Houston Baptist (1960-2022) has won both of the previous two matchups.
• The Huskies scored four goals in each of the first two matches between the two teams during the 2010 and 2014 seasons.
• The two squads last met on Sept. 19, 2014, at the Lipscomb Invitational in Nashville where Houston Christian picked up a 4-0 win.

 
Versus Chicago State

• Sunday will be the first-ever meeting between Belmont and the Cougars of Chicago State.

 
About Houston Christian

• The Huskies enter the weekend 1-1 with a 2-0 season-opening home loss to St. Bonaventure and a 4-1 win over the University of Nebraska Omaha in Houston this past Sunday night.
• Houston Christian went 5-8-6 last year and finished ninth out of 10 teams in the Western Athletic Conference after going 1-5-3 in league play.
• Now an affiliate member of the Ohio Valley Conference, which added men's soccer in 2023, the Huskies were picked third in the preseason poll with four first-place votes.
• Sophomore midfielder D'Alessandro Herrera, who scored twice against Omaha Sunday, was named a player to watch by the OVC after garnering WAC All-Freshman honors last fall.

 
About Chicago State

• The Cougars are also off to a 1-1 start following a 2-1 home loss to fellow Valley member Bradley last Thursday and a 3-2 road win at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee this past Sunday afternoon.
• Chicago State went 1-13-3 overall and 0-8 in the Mid-American Conference last season.
• Also an affiliate member of the OVC for men's soccer, the Cougars were selected eighth out of eight teams in the preseason predicted order of finish.
• Senior defender Calwayne Allen was chosen as a player to watch in the OVC, while junior forward Danail Sergiev recorded a brace in Chicago State's win at Milwaukee this past Sunday.

 
Up Next
The Bruins remain away from home and head to Memphis next Friday, Sept. 8 before wrapping up their four-match road swing at Southern Indiana on Tuesday, Sept. 12.
 
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.