Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content
HOME OF the BELMONT BRUINS
Alex_Clayton_vs_SouthCarolina2024
Belmont Athletics
1
Belmont BEL (2-2-1, 0-0-0)
2
Winner South Carolina SC (2-0-2, 0-0-0)
Belmont BEL
(2-2-1, 0-0-0)
1
Final
2
South Carolina SC
(2-0-2, 0-0-0)
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Belmont BEL 0 1 1
South Carolina SC 0 2 2

Game Recap: Men's Soccer |

Bruins Held Off by Gamecocks in South Carolina Saturday

Pair of Early Second-Half Goals Decide Road Affair in the Palmetto State

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Despite opportunities to tie the match late, the Belmont University men's soccer team dropped a 2-1 decision Saturday evening at the University of South Carolina. In their second-ever trip to Columbia, South Carolina, the Bruins (2-2-1) got within a goal on a 62nd-minute penalty kick but couldn't find the back of the net in the closing 25 minutes.
 
With a couple thousand on hand at Eugene E. Stone III Stadium, the host Gamecocks (2-0-2) scored twice in the opening 15 minutes of the second half. The two goals proved to be the difference.
 
Senior defender Alex Clayton received the ball from junior forward Brock Kiper inside the penalty area in the 62nd minute and drove toward goal before being fouled. Trailing 2-0, senior captain midfielder AJ Chastonay converted Belmont's first PK of the season to get the Bruins back in the match. Redshirt junior forward Jimiyu Mark nearly evened the score in the 71st minute and graduate forward Esteban Leiva had two promising looks in the final 15 minutes of action.
 
Both of South Carolina's goals were long boots from the top of the 18-yard box. In the 49th minute, the Gamecocks' Andrew Goldsworthy launched a ball into the left-side upper 90 from just outside the box. Then in the 60th minute, South Carolina's Alejandro Velazquez-Lopez broke free and found a narrow margin right below the post from just past the penalty arc.
 
Belmont's two shots on goal came in the second half and the Bruins had only two shots in the first half, neither on target.
 
The Gamecocks tallied 14 total shots and placed six on target, four of which were saved by graduate goalkeeper Grant Calvert.
 
Three of Belmont's four corner kicks were earned in the second half.
 
South Carolina secured five first-half corners and finished with seven total. Of Note
  • Chastonay's PK was his fourth goal of the season and 17th of his career.
  • Chastonay leads the Bruins in both goals and points (9) this season.
  • Chastonay is tied with Niccolo Dagnoni (2018-21), Will Moorad (2008-11) and Jeremy Littlejohn (1995-98) for the third-most goals ever by a Belmont player.
  • Sophomore defender Griffin Moore made his first career start.
  • The Bruins have lost both of their matchups with the Gamecocks in South Carolina by a single goal – Aug. 29, 2014 (1-0, 2OT).
Up Next
Belmont wraps up its strenuous three-match road stretch Tuesday evening at Bellarmine. Kickoff from Owsley B. Frazier Stadium in Louisville, Kentucky, is slated for 5:30 p.m. CT/6:30 p.m. ET. The midweek match will be broadcast on ESPN+. Next Sunday, Sept. 15, the Bruins host top-five ranked Western Michigan to begin Missouri Valley Conference play.
 
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.
 
#ItsBruinTime
 
Print Friendly Version