Bruins’ Postseason Spoiled by UIC in MVC Championship First Round at Rose Park

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Hosting their first Missouri Valley Conference Men's Soccer Championship match, the Belmont University Bruins were unable to find the space between the pipes in a physical, hard-fought single-goal affair against the University of Illinois Chicago at E.S. Rose Park in Nashville. Fourth-seeded Belmont (8-3-6, 3-2-2 MVC) was forced to play from behind for the majority of the match after a 10th-minute own goal by the fifth-seeded Flames (10-2-5, 2-1-4 MVC).
 
The 1-0 loss brings an end to the Bruins' impressive season, one in which Belmont went unbeaten through its first 11 matches. The Bruins held a program-record 13-match unbeaten streak, which dated back to last year, until Oct. 12 and posted six road shutouts.
 
Belmont finishes its campaign unbeaten on the road (5-0-4).
 
Nearly 10 minutes into the match, UIC midfielder Edouard Nys found defender Sota Nakazono on the left side in the 18-yard box. Looking for midfielder Darrell Turcios, who was sprinting into the six-yard box, Nakazono sent in a cross. However, the well-struck diagonal ball found its way into the back of the net as the Bruins attempted to clear it off the line.
 
Despite the early goal, Belmont conceded very little. Against one of the top offenses in the nation, the Bruins held the Flames to only six total shots. UIC entered the postseason leading the nation in shots per match (20.1) and ranking second in the country in shots on goal per outing (8.8). Belmont limited the Flames to just four shots on target, all of which were saved by graduate goalkeeper Grant Calvert.
 
Senior defender Riley Clothier had intentions of evening things up in the 16th minute when he drove the ball down the field and took a stab at goal from 17 yards out. His shot drifted just left of target.
 
Just past the 18th minute off a corner kick, sophomore midfielder Louis Peña thought he had an equalizing bicycle kick goal. However, the goal was nullified as the ball crossed the goal line on redshirt senior defender Dylan Steely's header behind the far post.
 
Keeping UIC without a shot for the final 36 minutes of the first half, the Bruins put together four shots in the closing 19 minutes of the half.
 
Belmont came out determined in the second half and controlled much of the last 45 minutes of action. Without giving up a corner kick in the second half, the Bruins earned five second-half corners. For the match, Belmont led 8-1 on corners.
 
From the 63rd minute to the 73rd minute, the Bruins tallied five shots, two of which were on target.
 
Pressing the issue as the clock crept into the last 20 minutes of play, Peña all but scored once again off a corner. He had a clean header in front of goal that was fanned away at the last second by the Flames' goalkeeper, Owen Cornell. Clothier attempted to get a shot off the rebound but barely got a boot on the ball.
 
About a minute later in the 73rd, redshirt junior forward Brock Kiper took a swing from just above the penalty spot, but his shot landed squarely in the hands of UIC's Cornell.
 
With about two minutes left, Belmont thought it had a sure handball in the penalty area on a long outlet from Clothier to redshirt senior forward Jimiyu Mark. Not getting the penalty kick, the Bruins had to settle for one last corner.
 
Falling down in the goal area, Steely had Belmont's final attempt off the corner. His shot went high, though, and the Bruins were unable to create another opportunity in the closing 90 seconds.
 
Belmont finished with 11 shots, three of which were on goal.
 
Of Note

• Sunday afternoon marked just the third time the Bruins hosted a conference tournament match at Rose Park. Belmont hosted Southern Conference Championship first round or play-in matches in both 2018 and 2019.
• The Bruins have faced UIC in the opening round of the MVC Championship in all three of Belmont's MVC Championship appearances (2025, 2023, 2022).
• Two of the Bruins' three losses this season were to the Flames in the Music City.
• Including this fall, Belmont has reached eight victories in three of its last five seasons.

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