Men's Soccer Faces Nationally-Ranked Missouri State Saturday at Rose Park

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Closing out a four-match homestand, the Belmont University men's soccer team welcomes nationally-ranked and Missouri Valley Conference leader Missouri State to E.S. Rose Park Saturday evening. Kickoff from the Music City is slated for 6 p.m.
 
The Valley showdown will be broadcast on ESPN+ with Spencer Boehme on the call. Live stats can be followed by visiting BelmontBruins.com.
 
Free Belmont Bruins tumblers will be given away to all fans in attendance with limited quantities available.
 
What's Bruin

• The Bruins (3-6-3, 0-3-1 MVC) snapped a four-match losing streak Tuesday night with a 1-nil victory over visiting NCAA Division III Covenant College.
• In just his second match of the season, graduate forward Case Cox found the back of the net in the 53rd minute. Belmont tallied 12 shots, including placing five on target, and earned seven corner kicks while conceding only two shots on goal.
• Cox's 10th career goal Tuesday was the Bruins' first score since Sept. 15 against top-five ranked Western Michigan. The win was Belmont's first since a 2-1 triumph over Northern Kentucky on Aug. 29.
• Redshirt sophomore defender Nate Mefford recorded his first career assist on Cox's goal Tuesday, while senior defender Alex Clayton notched his team-leading third assist of the season.
• Prior to Tuesday night, the Bruins had suffered three consecutive single-goal losses.
• Three of Belmont's last five matches of the regular season are at home.
• The Bruins are 3-2-1 at Rose Park this year.
• Looking for its first MVC win of the season, Belmont began Valley play with a 1-1 home draw against then fourth-ranked Western Michigan.
• Five of the Bruins' last eight opponents are ranked in the top 90 of the NCAA RPI (Rating Percentage Index), including No. 16 Western Michigan, No. 38 Drake, No. 66 Bowling Green, No. 85 South Carolina and No. 88 Memphis.
• The Bears visit with the 14th-highest RPI in the nation.
• Returning to action last weekend against Bradley, Cox made his first start of the season Tuesday versus Covenant College. The experienced Louisville, Kentucky (Saint Xavier HS), native was a Missouri Athletic Club (MAC) Hermann Trophy preseason watch list member last year and an all-region first-team selection in 2022.
• Senior captain midfielder AJ Chastonay, who has twice been named Tennessee Sports Writers Association (TSWA) Player of the Week this season and was selected as MVC Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 17, leads Belmont in both goals (5) and points (12). With 18 career goals in five seasons, Chastonay ranks third in program history. A native of Louisville, Kentucky (Saint Xavier HS), Chastonay surpassed Niccolo Dagnoni (2018-21), Will Moorad (2008-11) and Jeremy Littlejohn (1995-98) on the Bruins' all-time goals list on Sept. 10 in the 1-1 draw at Bellarmine.
• Both Chastonay and fellow senior midfielder Eric Stiles are the winningest players in school history. They have helped lead Belmont to an impressive 37 match wins across five seasons.
• The Bruins were undefeated through their first three matches for the second consecutive season.
• Belmont went 8-7-3 overall last fall, finishing in the top 90 of the NCAA RPI for the fourth-straight season. It also marked the Bruins' fourth consecutive winning season.
• In its second year back in the MVC after being an affiliate member of the Valley for the 2000 season, Belmont tied for fifth place with a 3-4-1 league record.
• The Bruins were picked fifth in the 2024 MVC Preseason Poll.
• Junior defender Dylan Steely was tabbed Preseason All-MVC after earning United Soccer Coaches All-West Region Third Team honors last season. The Hoover, Alabama (Hoover HS), native was an All-MVC Second Team pick last year and garnered MVC All-Tournament Team and MVC All-Freshman Team accolades in 2022.
• Head coach David Costa has led Belmont to 43 match wins and 18 draws, including two conference tournament championship match appearances, over six seasons.
• The Bruins challenge themselves against some of the nation's best this season, facing eight top-100 programs from a year ago including four NCAA Championship teams.

Against Nationally-Ranked Opponents

• Belmont's tie with the Broncos on Sept. 15 in Nashville was the Bruins' first result against a top-five opponent in program history. It was Belmont's ninth all-time result versus a top-25 team, seven of which have taken place in the last five seasons.
• Missouri State enters the weekend ranked 17th in the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 poll.
• The Bears were also nationally ranked in their last trip to Rose Park two years ago (No. 18).
• Prior to the Bruins' draw with No. 4 Western Michigan earlier this season, Belmont's last result against a nationally-ranked team was its scoreless home draw with then 18th-ranked Missouri State on Oct. 23, 2022.
• The Bruins last defeated a top-25 opponent in the 2021 Southern Conference Championship semifinals when Belmont knocked off 25th-ranked UNC Greensboro 2-1 on the road.
• The Bruins own five wins over nationally-ranked opponents in program history – at No. 25 UNC Greensboro (2-1) on Nov. 7, 2021; versus No. 16 UNC Greensboro (2-1) on Oct. 16, 2021; at No. 25 Furman (3-1) on April 9, 2021; versus No. 22 ETSU (3-1) on Sept. 29, 2011; at No. 16 Furman (2-1, OT) on Nov. 2, 2007.
• Belmont has also tied a nationally-ranked opponent four times in program history – versus No. 4 Western Michigan (1-1) on Sept. 15, 2024; versus No. 18 Missouri State (0-0) on Oct. 23, 2022; versus No. 17 Lipscomb (0-0) on Sept. 6, 2022; at No. 22 Lipscomb (1-1) on Sept. 14, 2021.

Bruins at Home

• The Bruins have gotten a result in 32 of their last 36 matches at Rose Park, outscoring their opponents 53-23 during that stretch.
• Since the start of the 2018 season, Belmont is 28-10-11 at home.
• The Bruins have finished .500 or better at home each of the last six seasons.

Versus Missouri State

• Saturday will be the 11th all-time meeting between Belmont and the Bears with Missouri State holding a 6-2-2 lead in the series.
• It marks the fourth-straight year the Bears are ranked in the top 20 when the two teams meet.
• The Bruins have earned a result against Missouri State in each of the Bears' last two trips to Rose Park. Belmont defeated Missouri State 2-1 in overtime at home in September of 2013 before earning the scoreless draw with the Bears in 2022.
• Last September in Springfield, Missouri, then ninth-ranked Missouri State scored in the 71st minute and held on for a 1-0 win over the Bruins.
• Belmont is seeking its first goal against the Bears since the Bruins' 2021 season opener at Missouri State, which ended in a 3-1 loss.

About the Bears

• The Bears (7-2-1, 3-0-1 MVC) enter the weekend riding a seven-match unbeaten streak.
• Winners of six of its last seven matches, Missouri State has conceded only two goals during its undefeated streak.
• The Bears are coming off a 7-0 home rout of Northern Illinois last Sunday.
• Like Belmont, Missouri State earned a 1-1 draw with nationally-ranked Western Michigan, tying the Broncos on the road on Sept. 28.
• The Bears have also picked up MVC victories at the University of Illinois Chicago (3-1) on Sept. 21 and versus Bradley (1-0) on Sept. 15. With 10 league points, Missouri State holds a one-point lead on Bowling Green atop the Valley standings.
• Prior to last year, the Bears won four-straight MVC regular season championships and three-straight MVC Championship titles. Missouri State finished runner-up in both the regular season and conference tournament last year behind Western Michigan.
• Since the beginning of the 2019 season, the Bears hold the best Division I overall record at 78-13-9 (.825) and best conference record at 42-2-4 (.917).
• Led by third-year head coach Michael Seabolt, Missouri State was picked to win the Valley according to the league's preseason coaches poll.
• The Bears rank third nationally in shutout percentage (.600), 10th in both shots on goal per match (7.0) and shot accuracy (.507), 11th in goal differential (+14) and 15th in assists per match (2.4).
• Missouri State features 2022 MVC Player of the Year Jesus Barea, second-team all-region defender Michael Peck, 2023 MVC Freshman of the Year Tyler Caton (midfielder) and first-team all-region goalkeeper Harry Townsend.
• Senior forward Barea has scored 10 goals already this season and is tied for the national lead in both goals per match (1.0) and shots on goal per match (3.2). He also ranks in the top five nationally in points (22), goals and points per match (2.2).
• Senior forward Fumiya Shiraishi, a Florida International transfer, owns four goals on the year and leads the Bears in assists (4), while redshirt senior forward James Jennings has also placed four in the back of the net.

Up Next
The Bruins hit the road next weekend, traveling to the Windy City to take on UIC next Friday night. Kickoff from Flames Field in Chicago is scheduled for 7 p.m. The MVC matchup will be broadcast on ESPN+.
 
How to Follow
Follow Belmont men's soccer on social media – @BelmontMSoccer on X, formerly 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.