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Lucas_Wolthers_at_Bradley2025
Clara Bush | Bradley Athletics
5
Winner Belmont BEL (7-2-6, 2-2-2)
0
Bradley BRAD (2-8-6, 0-4-2)
Winner
Belmont BEL
(7-2-6, 2-2-2)
5
Final
0
Bradley BRAD
(2-8-6, 0-4-2)
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Belmont BEL 2 3 5
Bradley BRAD 0 0 0

Game Recap: Men's Soccer |

Bruins Punch Ticket to Postseason with 5-0 Road Shutout of Bradley

Men’s Soccer Earns Sixth Road Shutout of the Season, Remains Unbeaten Away from Home

PEORIA, Ill. – The Belmont University men's soccer team is headed to the 2025 Missouri Valley Conference Championship following its impressive 5-0 road shutout of Bradley University on Halloween Night at Shea Stadium in Peoria, Illinois. Securing a berth in the postseason tournament after missing out on last year's MVC Championship, the Bruins (7-2-6, 2-2-2 MVC) left little doubt as Belmont scored a trio of second-half goals to put the match away for good.
 
The Bruins' five goals represent the most in a match since Belmont defeated Virginia Military Institute on the road by an identical 5-0 score on Oct. 2, 2021.
 
Redshirt junior forward Brock Kiper recorded a brace in the rout and freshman midfielder Nzuhri Biggar, redshirt sophomore forward Lucas Wolthers and redshirt junior defender Nate Mefford all added to the Bruins' final tally.
 
The shutout is Belmont's sixth on the road this season and the Bruins remain unbeaten away from home (5-0-4).
 
Belmont placed seven of its 12 shots on target and thwarted every attempt by the host Braves (2-8-6, 0-4-2 MVC). Graduate goalkeeper Grant Calvert made a career-high tying seven saves, including four in the closing 25 minutes of the contest.
 
With the Bruins poised to take control early, senior midfielder Brad Dildy hit the inside of the left post in the 11th minute. Although Dildy's shot didn't clear the goal line, Wolthers had an open look at a put-back, but his swing sailed high.
 
Dildy threatened once again in the 23rd minute with a well-struck ball from just outside the 18-yard box that crossed high left of the far post.
 
Both Kiper and Biggar made an immediate impact as they entered the match for the first time in the 30th minute. Only 11 seconds after getting onto the pitch, Kiper finished off a strong run in the box as he beat Bradley's goalkeeper to smash in Belmont's opening goal. Freshman midfielder Paul Claes Nielsen assisted on Kiper's first goal. Less than two minutes later, Biggar made it 2-0 as Kiper found Nzuhri near the top of the six-yard box on the right side. Biggar finished with his left, securing his third goal of the season. Claes Nielsen nearly punched in the Bruins' third goal late in the first half, but his shot went wide left with just over six minutes to go before the break.
 
In the 57th minute, redshirt junior midfielder Ethan Schlegel played a ball forward to Wolthers, who quickly worked between two defenders and calmly guided in his third goal of the year from the top of the penalty area. Following consecutive yellow cards and a subsequent red card on the Braves' Anel Kafedzic early in the 59th minute, sophomore midfielder Emmanuel Aranda lined up for a short free kick and nearly placed Belmont's fourth goal of the night in the back of the net. However, Aranda's hard-hit ball was stopped by a diving save by Bradley's keeper, Drew Berry.
 
Following Kafedzic's red card, the Braves had to play a man down for the final 31-plus minutes.
 
The Bruins' fourth goal and Kiper's second score came in the 66th minute when Aranda played the ball over to Brock, who once again worked past goalkeeper Berry and punched it in. Belmont scored its final goal on a set piece in the 81st minute. Aranda took the Bruins' second-to-last corner kick and placed the ball in the goal area for Mefford to swing in his first goal of the season with his left foot. Bradley outshot Belmont 16-12 after totaling 11 first-half shots.
 
Of Note
  • Kiper's brace is the first by a Bruin since midfielder AJ Chastonay led Belmont past Northern Kentucky (2-1) on Aug. 29 of last year.
  • Kiper scored his team-leading fifth and sixth goals of the season.
  • With 14 career goals, Kiper ties Carlos Macioch (1997-01) for the fifth-most goals in program history. The two are tied for eighth on the Bruins' all-time goals list.
  • Mefford is the 12th Belmont player to score a goal this season.
  • Claes Nielsen's assist on Kiper's first goal is his team-leading fourth assist of the season.
  • Kiper's assist on Biggar's goal is his third of the year. He owns a team-best 15 points.
  • Aranda's assist on Kiper's second goal is his first career helper.
  • The Bruins improve to 4-5-1 all-time versus the Braves.
  • Belmont has outscored Bradley 8-1 over its last two trips to Peoria.
  • The Bruins will be the No. 2, No. 3, No. 4, No. 5 or No. 6 seed for the MVC Championship.
Up Next
Belmont closes out the regular season in Nashville next Wednesday by hosting defending MVC Championship winner Evansville, who clinched a share of the regular season title Friday night. Kickoff from E.S. Rose Park is scheduled for 6 p.m. All Bruin home matches are free to attend and 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.
 
#ItsBruinTime
 
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