NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Battle of the Boulevard trophy resided on the opposite end of Belmont Boulevard for just one year before the Belmont University men's soccer team reclaimed the hardware Tuesday night at E.S. Rose Park with a convincing 2-nil victory over rival Lipscomb. In the 27th rendition of the Battle of the Boulevard on the pitch, the Bruins (5-8-3) left no doubt as they thoroughly outplayed the visiting Bisons (3-7-5) for 90 minutes.
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The win is Belmont's first in the Battle of the Boulevard rivalry since the unique 2020-21 season, which was played in the spring of 2021. The Bruins had earned draws against then top-25 ranked Lipscomb in both the fall of 2021 and 2022.
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A header from junior defender
Dylan Steely in the final minute of the first half and a 51st-minute strike from senior captain midfielder
Rubyn Singh Gill lifted Belmont over the Bisons.
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The Bruins registered a season-high eight shots on goal while picking up their fifth shutout of the season.
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Six of Belmont's eight corner kicks on the night came in the opening half and the Bruins didn't allow a shot on goal until the 50th minute. Lipscomb wasn't able to earn a corner until the 67th minute.
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A bicycle kick by graduate forward
Case Cox nearly gave Belmont the lead in the 27th minute following a pair of corners. However, it was a fantastic setup by junior defender
Riley Clothier and sophomore defender
AJ Elliott that led to the Bruins' go-ahead goal with 55 seconds remaining in the first half. Clothier passed the ball over to Elliott from the right wing and a perfectly-placed feed deep into the 18-yard box allowed Steely to rise up and sink the header.
It didn't take Belmont long in the second half to strike again. Junior midfielder
Brad Dildy found Singh Gill at the top of the penalty area a little over five minutes into the second stanza. After gathering the ball from about 30 yards out, Singh Gill found the back of the net with a slight deflection off a Bison defender.
In the 75th minute, senior defender
Alex Clayton came within inches of putting the Bruins up 3-0 on a run into the box. With only Lipscomb's goalkeeper to beat, Clayton's shot barely drifted wide of the right post.
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The Bisons placed four shots on target in the second half, including three in the last 18 minutes, but graduate goalkeeper
Grant Calvert made crucial stops. Tallying four saves for the third-straight match, Calvert's most memorable came on Lipscomb's final opportunity with three minutes left. A well-struck ball by the Bisons' Camilo Estrada was met with a diving save up top by Calvert.
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Lipscomb was carded five times in the contest.
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Belmont finished with 12 total shots, six in each half, while the Bisons recorded eight.
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Of Note
- Prior to kickoff, senior captain midfielder AJ Chastonay, Clayton, Cox, senior defender Alex Johnson, graduate forward Esteban Leiva, Singh Gill and senior midfielder Eric Stiles were recognized. The seven played their final match at Rose Park.
- Both Chastonay and Stiles will finish their careers with a 23-6-9 record in home matches.
- It marks the first time the Bruins have scored multiple goals in a match since their 2-1 home win over Northern Kentucky on Aug. 29.
- Belmont improves to 11-12-4 all-time versus Lipscomb.
- The Bruins move to 8-4-2 against the Bisons at home and 3-1-1 versus Lipscomb at Rose Park.
- Head coach David Costa is 2-1-2 in Battle of the Boulevard matches.
- Belmont has gotten a result in 33 of its last 39 matches at home, outscoring its opponents 56-26 during that stretch.
- Since the start of the 2018 season, the Bruins are 29-12-11 at Rose Park.
- Belmont finishes .500 or better at home for the seventh consecutive season.
- Steely's goal was the sixth of his career and second of the season.
- Singh Gill's goal was the ninth of his career and second as a Bruin. It was his first goal scored at Rose Park.
- Both Elliott and Clothier earned their second career assist.
- Dildy collected his second assist of the season and 12th career helper.
Up Next
Belmont will have an eight-day break from match action before closing out the regular season next Wednesday, Nov. 6 at Evansville in Indiana. Kickoff from Arad McCutchan Stadium is scheduled for 6 p.m. The Missouri Valley Conference road matchup will be broadcast on
ESPN+.
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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 theÂ
official app of the Belmont Bruins, available both in the Apple App Store and on Google Play.
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#ItsBruinTime
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