NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Returning home following a four-match stretch on the road, the Belmont University men's soccer team suffered a 2-0 setback at E.S. Rose Park Saturday night at the hands of the University of Illinois Chicago in both team's Missouri Valley Conference opener.
The Bruins (3-2-2, 0-1-0 MVC), lacking precision in the buildup in the first half, conceded a goal in the opening minutes as the visiting Flames (5-1-1, 1-0-0 MVC) found the back of the net off a free kick in the seventh minute. In the second 45 minutes of action, Belmont played with determination in the opponent's half but was unable to capitalize in the final third. UIC's defense within the six-yard box denied the Bruins of getting on the scoresheet for the first time of the season.
Belmont had multiple opportunities to even the score beginning in the 63rd minute with its first corner kick of the night. Graduate midfielder
Jansen Wilson received the ball at midfield from senior midfielder
Michael Saunders. Dribbling through two UIC defenders, Wilson fed junior defender
Alex Clayton on the right side who won the Bruins a corner off his cross.
Wilson made the delivery and found graduate forward
Esteban Leiva at the top of the box. Leiva headed it toward senior forward
Ayden von Essen, whose attempted header was cleared off the line. Both Leiva and von Essen, entering as substitutes, made an immediate impact providing an aerial threat within the Flames' box.
In the 73rd minute, junior midfielder
Rubyn Singh Gill won the ball back after Belmont was dispossessed in UIC's half. He quickly provided the ball to Wilson, who selflessly opened it up on the right for Clayton's diagonal ball toward the back post looking for von Essen. The cross was just out of reach for von Essen, who couldn't put his foot on it to find the equalizer.
The Bruins continued to push in the final 15 minutes of the match. Saunders received the ball outside of Belmont's half just before the 76th minute mark, drove it forward centrally and passed it to graduate forward
Case Cox on the right flank. The two combined and Saunders put the ball into the box from the right, finding a free von Essen. Despite timing it perfectly, von Essen was unable to power his header past the Flames' Oren Asher in front of goal.
Moments later in the 81st minute, UIC hit the post from just outside the Bruins' six-yard box. A slight, but crucial deflection by junior goalkeeper
Grant Calvert kept Belmont in the match.
About a minute later, the Flames took another attempt inside the 18. Calvert nearly saved a second goal by UIC forward Bart Muns, but the ruling was that the ball dribbled just past the goal line. Muns' second score put the visitors up by two with eight-and-a-half minutes to go.
The Bruins continued to create chances in the closing minutes, including a strike by senior midfielder
AJ Chastonay from the top of the 18 that was deflected wide right for a corner. However, Belmont could not convert on its final set pieces.
The loss, only the Bruins' second of the year, puts an end to Belmont's 20-match home unbeaten streak at Rose Park, which was the second-longest in the nation.
Of Note
- The Bruins were playing back in the Music City for the first time in 20 days.
- Belmont conceded multiple goals at Rose Park for the first time since its 2022 home matchup with the Flames last October.
- UIC gets three points against the Bruins for the first time since the two joined the MVC last season.
- The Flames improve to 6-1-1 all-time versus Belmont.
- The Bruins had not lost at home since March 30, 2021 – 900 days.
- Belmont has gotten a result in 22 of its last 25 matches at Rose Park, outscoring its opponents 28-11.
- The Bruins are 22-8-9 at home since the start of the 2018 season.
- Saturday's match was Belmont's annual Alumni Night with several former players in attendance.
Up Next
The Bruins hit the road next weekend to take on four-time defending Valley regular season and three-time defending MVC Tournament champion Missouri State Friday. Kickoff from Betty and Bobby Allison South Stadium in Springfield, Missouri, is scheduled for 7 p.m. The conference tilt 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.
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