DeKALB, Ill. – Securing its eighth road result of the season, the Belmont University men's soccer team earned a 2-2 draw at Northern Illinois University Friday night in Missouri Valley Conference action. The Bruins (6-1-6, 1-1-2 MVC) overcame a 1-0 halftime deficit with a pair of second-half goals and held a 2-1 lead for just over 17 minutes of action before the host Huskies (5-3-4, 1-0-3 MVC) scored in the last three minutes.
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Redshirt sophomore forward
Lucas Wolthers nearly had a brace and put Belmont in front in the 71st minute with his second career goal.
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Northern Illinois forward Nico Angulo scored on a deflection by graduate goalkeeper
Grant Calvert inside the six-yard box in the 88th minute to steal two points away from the Bruins.
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The Huskies struck first, taking a 1-0 advantage in the 16th minute on a counterattack. Northern Illinois midfielder Jose Gomez beat two defenders on an outlet pass from the Huskies' Amara Kamara and finished near the penalty spot.
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Senior midfielder
Brad Dildy seemed poised to even the score later in the opening half with a 28th-minute shot that was sent just wide right by Northern Illinois goalkeeper Atahan Arslan. He threatened once again in the 35th minute with a promising looking cross, but his feed couldn't find a connection in the box.
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Belmont had back-to-back throw-ins followed by consecutive corners late in the first half with Dildy barely missing redshirt senior defender
Dylan Steely on the Bruins' second set piece in the sequence.
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Only Dildy's shot was on target of Belmont's three first-half attempts.
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Four of the Huskies' six shots on goal were conceded in the first half.
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The Bruins had an ample opportunity to score within the first minute of the second half with close-range shots from Wolthers and freshman midfielder
Paul Claes Nielsen. Moments later, Belmont equalized with a great cross into the goal area by Claes Nielsen. Wolthers almost got a touch on Claes Nielsen's pass, but the ball was deflected in by Northern Illinois, evening the score at 1-1 in the 49th minute.
Senior defender
Riley Clothier nearly put in his second goal of the season in the 55th minute with an absolute missile from outside the 18-yard box, which hit the top crossbar.
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Early in the 71st minute, redshirt junior midfielder
Ethan Schlegel headed the ball down to Claes Nielsen, who found a sprinting Wolthers from the left side and left it for Wolthers to finish. Leaving no doubt, Wolthers gave the Bruins a 2-1 lead.
Belmont was unable to get a shot off in the last two-plus minutes following the Huskies' tying score.
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The Bruins had six shots in the second half with two on target. Both teams earned a pair of corners across the second 45 minutes of play.
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The second half also saw six combined cautions.
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Of Note
- With the result, Belmont remains unbeaten on the road this season.
- The Bruins earn their first result against Northern Illinois (0-2-1).
- Prior to Friday, Belmont had given up only two goals on the road across seven matches.
- Including four saves against the Huskies, Calvert has tallied 14 saves over his last three matches.
- Claes Nielsen's assist on Wolthers' goal is his third of the season.
- Schlegel earns his second career assist on Wolthers' goal.
Up Next
The Bruins return to E.S. Rose Park next Friday for senior night versus Drake. Kickoff from the Music City is set for 6:30 p.m. and Belmont's seniors will be honored on the field prior to the match. All Bruin home matches are free and 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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