Men's Soccer Kicks Off 2025 Campaign Thursday Evening at Rose Park

 
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The 2025 NCAA Division I men's soccer season gets underway in earnest Thursday evening and the Belmont University Bruins welcome the Wright State Raiders to the Music City. Kickoff from E.S. Rose Park is set for 6:30 p.m.
 
The match will be broadcast on ESPN+ with Wes Boling on the call. Live stats of the contest can be followed by visiting BelmontBruins.com.
 
Admission at Rose Park is always free and cooling towels will be given away to fans in attendance while supplies last.
 
What's Bruin

• The Bruins are looking to return to Missouri Valley Conference title contention after tying for seventh last season with a 5-8-4 overall record and 1-5-2 mark in MVC play.
• Belmont welcomed 11 newcomers this year, including eight this summer and three in January – graduate defender Parker Forbes, freshman defender Hayden Robinson and redshirt sophomore forward Lucas Wolthers.
• The Bruins' 2025 signing class is comprised of six true freshmen and five transfers.
• Belmont returns 14 letter winners and seven starters from its 2024 campaign.
• The Bruins were picked sixth in the Valley's preseason predicted order of finish.
• Redshirt senior defender Dylan Steely, a two-time All-MVC Second Team selection and 2023 United Soccer Coaches All-Region performer, was named Preseason All-MVC for the second consecutive year.
• Now in his seventh season, head coach David Costa is 3-1-2 in season openers.
• Belmont has won four-straight home openers and has not lost a home opener since 2019.
• The Bruins earned a result in three of their final four matches last season with a road win at the University of Illinois Chicago and a senior night victory over in-town rival Lipscomb. Belmont ended the season with a 2-2 road draw at the University of Evansville.

The Bruins' regular season kicks off in less than 48 hours, hear what redshirt senior defender Dylan Steely has to say heading into his final fall ??#ItsBruinTime pic.twitter.com/jShzok9owD

— Belmont Men's Soccer (@BelmontMSoccer) August 20, 2025

Bruins at Home

• The Bruins have secured a result in 33 of their last 39 matches at Rose Park, outscoring their opponents 56-26 during that stretch.
• Since the start of the 2018 season, Belmont is 29-12-11 at home.
• The Bruins have finished .500 or better at home for seven consecutive seasons.

Versus Wright State

• Belmont and Wright State are meeting for the first time since 2017.
• The Raiders own a 4-0-1 lead in the series, which includes four matchups when the Bruins were also members of the Horizon League (2014-17).
• Belmont is 0-2-0 against Wright State at Rose Park.

About the Raiders

• The Raiders went 7-9-2 last fall and tied for seventh in the Horizon League with a 3-5-1 record against the league.
• From 2016-19, Wright State won three Horizon League championships with two regular season crowns (2016 and 2018) and a conference tournament title (2019).

Up Next
The Bruins travel to American Athletic Conference member Memphis Sunday for a 5 p.m. kickoff from the Billy J. Murphy Soccer Complex.
 
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.