Men's Soccer Welcomes Covenant College in Non-Conference Action Tuesday

 
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Stepping back out of Missouri Valley Conference play, the Belmont University men's soccer team hosts NCAA Division III Covenant College Tuesday night at E.S. Rose Park. Kickoff in the Music City is slated for 6:30 p.m.
 
The midweek matchup will be broadcast on ESPN+ with Spencer Boehme on the call. Live stats can be followed by visiting BelmontBruins.com.
 
An enter-to-win raffle will be available for fans in attendance with a $50 gift card to San Antonio Taco Co. up for grabs.
 
What's Bruin

• The Bruins (2-6-3) are attempting to snap a four-match losing streak after suffering three-straight single-goal losses.
• Last week, Belmont dropped 1-0 decisions to the University of Memphis and Bradley at Rose Park. It marked the first time since 2019 the Bruins had lost back-to-back matches at home.
• In fact, Belmont has been defeated at Rose Park only three times in four seasons.
• The Bruins are on their first fourth-match slide since 2019.
• Prior to last week, Belmont owned a seven-match home unbeaten streak, which had been intact for exactly one year.
• The Bruins are in search of their first goal since a 1-1 draw with then fourth-ranked Western Michigan in both team's MVC opener on Sept. 15 in Nashville.
• Belmont's last victory was on Aug. 29 against Northern Kentucky (2-1).
• The Bruins' tie with the Broncos was Belmont's first result against a top-five opponent in program history and ninth all-time result versus a top-25 team, seven of which have taken place in the last five seasons.
• Four of the Bruins' final six matches of the regular season are at home.
• Belmont is 2-2-1 at Rose Park this year.
• Four of the Bruins' last five opponents are ranked in the top 100 of the NCAA RPI (Rating Percentage Index), including a pair of top-50 teams in Western Michigan and Drake.
• Redshirt freshman defender Dru Stanton made his first career start Saturday evening against Bradley.
• Graduate forward Case Cox made his first appearance of the season Saturday versus the Braves. 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. The Louisville, Kentucky (Saint Xavier HS), native 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 42 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.

Bruins at Home

• Belmont has gotten a result in 31 of its last 35 matches at Rose Park, outscoring its opponents 52-23 during that stretch.
• Since the start of the 2018 season, the Bruins are 27-10-11 at home.
• Belmont has finished .500 or better at home each of the last six seasons.

Versus Covenant College

• Tuesday will be the fifth all-time meeting between the Bruins and Covenant College.
• The two programs played each other for four-straight seasons in the early 1990's, Belmont's first four years as a program.
• While both teams were NAIA members, the Scots won all four matchups, including a 5-0 rout of the Bruins in the last meeting nearly 30 years ago to the day on Oct. 4, 1994, in Lookout Mountain, Georgia.
• Covenant College is making its first trip to Nashville to take on Belmont since Oct. 1, 1993.

About the Scots

• The Scots (9-2-1) are on a five-match winning streak and have scored five goals in each of their last two outings.
• Led by eighth-year head coach Scott Bosgraf, Covenant College is averaging just over two goals per match and has tallied 28 goals on the year.
• The Scots collected a 3-0 shutout over then Division III No. 3 Washington and Lee University on Sept. 7.
• Covenant College is 2-0 in its conference and has gone 2-2-0 on the road this season.
• The Scots were picked as the preseason favorites in the Collegiate Conference of the South and are the defending regular season champions. In fact, Covenant College has won its conference tournament each of the last three seasons.
• Senior all-region forward Kade Theunissen leads the Scots with eight goals and nine assists, while junior first-team all-conference forward Whitt Tisdale has registered six goals and four assists.
• Covenant College has also gotten four goals from senior second-team all-conference midfielder Luke Laughlin.

Up Next
The Bruins return to MVC action this weekend and close out a four-match homestand by hosting Missouri State, who is receiving votes in the national poll, Saturday evening. Kickoff from Rose Park is scheduled for 6 p.m. All Belmont home matches are 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.