Bruins Host Bowling Green for MVC Home Opener Friday Night

 
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Following a three-match road stretch, the Belmont University men's soccer team returns to E.S. Rose Park Friday night for its Missouri Valley Conference home opener against Bowling Green State University. Kickoff from the Music City is set for 6:30 p.m.
 
The MVC home match will be broadcast on ESPN+ with Wes Boling on the call. Live stats of the weekend contest can be followed by visiting BelmontBruins.com.
 
Friday is alumni night at Rose Park with Bruin men's soccer alumni being honored at halftime. Belmont men's soccer scarves will be given away to all fans in attendance, while supplies last, beginning one hour prior to kickoff.

Fans, come out to support our alunmi this Friday at Rose Park!

Don't miss your chance to score a Belmont Soccer Scarf!

#ItsBruinTime pic.twitter.com/qolxDFfu59

— Belmont Men's Soccer (@BelmontMSoccer) October 1, 2025

What's Bruin

• The Bruins (5-0-4, 0-0-1 MVC) are one of just 17 unbeaten teams in the nation.
• For the first time in program history, Belmont is unbeaten through its first nine matches of the season.
• The Bruins' program-best 11-match unbeaten streak, which dates back to Oct. 25 of last year, is the third-longest in the nation behind only Vermont (20) and the University of Portland (19).
• Through its first nine matches, Belmont has outscored its opponents 14-5 and has not conceded more than a goal in any outing.
• For three consecutive matches, the Bruins have conceded no more than one shot on target.
• Belmont began MVC play with a 1-1 road draw at Western Michigan last Friday. It marked the second-straight season the Bruins have began MVC play with a 1-1 draw with the Broncos.
• Earning their sixth road result of the season, Belmont took a 1-0 lead just 5:16 in on a penalty kick from redshirt junior forward Brock Kiper. Western Michigan then equalized at the 24th minute on a free kick just outside the penalty box.
• The Bruins placed five of their eight shots on goal against the Broncos.
• With the Valley-opening road draw, seventh-year head coach David Costa improved to 3-1-3 in conference openers.
• Tallying his team-leading fourth goal of the year, Kiper recorded his 12th career score last weekend. He leads Belmont in both career goals and points (27).
• Nine Bruins have found the back this season – Kiper (4), freshman forward Jaxon Stokes (3), sophomore midfielder Emmanuel Aranda (1), senior defender Riley Clothier (1), senior midfielder Brad Dildy (1), graduate defender Parker Forbes (1), freshman midfielder Paul Claes Nielsen (1), sophomore midfielder Louis Peña (1), and redshirt sophomore forward Lucas Wolthers (1).
• Graduate goalkeeper Grant Calvert, who owns three clean sheets on the year, ranks in the top 25 nationally in both goals against average (.565) and save percentage (.839).
• In the latest NCAA RPI (Rating Percentage Index) rankings, Belmont is 113th while the Falcons are 111th. The Bruins have earned two results against NCAA RPI top-60 teams – No. 55 Bellarmine (1-1) and No. 58 Harvard (1-0).
• Going back to last season, Belmont has claimed a result in 12 of its last 13 matches.

Bruins at Home

• The Bruins have posted a result in 36 of their last 42 matches at Rose Park, outscoring their opponents 60-29 during that stretch.
• Since the start of the 2018 season, Belmont is 30-12-13 at home.
• The Bruins have finished .500 or better at home for seven consecutive seasons.

Versus Bowling Green

• Friday will be the fourth all-time meeting between Belmont and Bowling Green with the Bruins holding a 2-1-0 lead in the series.
• Belmont won the first two matchups against the Falcons, both at Rose Park, in September of 2011 (3-2) and October of 2023 (2-1).
• Last September, the Bruins dropped a 1-0 decision at Bowling Green where the Falcons' Trace Terry scored the game winner at the 39th minute. At 8-1-1 and 3-0-0 in MVC play, Bowling Green was receiving votes in the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 Poll.
• Kiper scored against the Falcons two seasons ago, putting Belmont up 1-0 less than four minutes in. After Bowling Green equalized in the 20th minute, senior forward Ayden von Essen tapped in the game winner on his senior night in the 66th minute.

About the Falcons

• The Falcons (4-4-2, 0-1-0 MVC) were defeated 3-0 at home by Evansville in their MVC opener last Friday night.
• Bowling Green is coming off a 2-0 non-conference home victory over Northern Kentucky Tuesday night.
• The Falcons were picked second in the Valley's preseason predicted order of finish and received two first-place votes after tying for third in the MVC last season with a 4-3-1 conference record. Bowling Green went 12-6-2 overall in 2024 and was the MVC Championships finalist, falling 3-2 in overtime to the Purple Aces in the title match.
• The Falcons are led by 17th-year head coach Eric Nichols, a two-time Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year.
• Senior forward Trace Terry was placed on the preseason Missouri Athletic Club (MAC) Hermann Trophy Watch List and was named a 'Forward to Watch' by the United Soccer Coaches. An All-American Second Team selection last year, Terry was selected in the third round (76th overall pick) of the 2025 MLS SuperDraft.
• Terry (6) and junior forward Bennett Painter (4), an All-MVC Second Team performer last fall, have scored all 10 of Bowling Green's goals this season.
• Terry's six goals are tied for the 16th most in the country.

Up Next
The Bruins step out of MVC play Tuesday and head to the Atlantic Coast Conference's University of Louisville for an evening kickoff at Dr. Mark & Cindy Lynn Stadium in Louisville, Kentucky. Scheduled for 5 p.m. CT/6 p.m. ET, the non-conference road match will be broadcast on ACC Network Extra.
 
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.