Men's Soccer Returns to Match Action Sunday Afternoon, Hosts Presbyterian College

 
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – After an eight-day break from match action, the Belmont University men's soccer team returns to the pitch Sunday afternoon when the Bruins host Presbyterian College. Kickoff from E.S. Rose Park in the Music City is slated for 1 p.m.
 
The home match will be broadcast on ESPN+ with Wes Boling on the call. Live stats of the matchup can be followed by visiting BelmontBruins.com.
 
Admission at Rose Park is always free. A $50 adidas gift card will be up for grabs for fans in attendance through an enter-to-win contest.
 
What's Bruin

• Belmont is off to a 3-0-2 start for the first time since the 2020 season, which was played in the spring of 2021 due to the COVID-19 global pandemic.
• The Bruins have gone unbeaten for seven-straight matches dating back to Oct. 25 of last year. The unbeaten streak is tied for Belmont's longest in program history.
• The Bruins also put together a seven-match unbeaten streak to begin the 2020 season and held a seven-match undefeated streak most recently during the 2022 season.
• Through the first five matches of the season, Belmont has outscored its opponents 7-3.
• Following consecutive road shutouts at Memphis (Aug. 24) and Harvard (Aug. 29), the Bruins have earned 1-1 draws in their last two outings.
• Last Saturday evening, Belmont picked up a tie at Northern Kentucky University after drawing with Bellarmine in its last home match on Sept. 2.
• Against the Norse last weekend, the Bruins had to play a man down for the final 31 minutes of the match due to a 59th-minute red card. Trailing 1-0 at halftime, redshirt junior forward Brock Kiper netted his team-best third goal of the season in the 54th minute. Northern Kentucky's goal came on a penalty kick in the 42nd minute.
• Despite conceding four corner kicks within the opening 15 minutes of the match and eight total for the night, Belmont's defense held true against the Norse. The Bruins were outshot 15-6, placed just two shots on target and earned only one corner in each half against Northern Kentucky. However, graduate goalkeeper Grant Calvert came up with a season-high six saves, including five in the second half.
• Across the last two matches, Calvert has made 11 saves. He owns two clean sheets on the young season and has registered nine career shutouts.
• Kiper leads Belmont in both career goals (11) and points (24).
• Five different Bruins have found the back of the net this season – Kiper (3), senior defender Riley Clothier (1), graduate defender Parker Forbes (1), sophomore midfielder Louis Peña (1) and freshman forward Jaxon Stokes (1).
• Belmont has secured a result in eight of its last nine matches going back to last season.

Bruins at Home

• The Bruins have posted a result in 35 of their last 41 matches at Rose Park, outscoring their opponents 59-28 during that stretch.
• Since the start of the 2018 season, Belmont is 30-12-12 at home.
• The Bruins have finished .500 or better at home for seven consecutive seasons.

Versus Presbyterian

• Sunday will be the fifth all-time meeting between Belmont and the Blue Hose.
• The Bruins have won each of the first four matchups.
• Belmont's most recent bout with Presbyterian, a 3-1 road victory on Sept. 26, 2023, was the only goal the Bruins have conceded to the Blue Hose. Redshirt senior defender Dylan Steely put Belmont up 2-1 in the 42nd minute of the match.
• The Bruins defeated Presbyterian 2-0 in the Blue Hose's only other trip to Rose Park on Sept. 21, 2019.
• The two teams first met at the opposite end of Belmont Boulevard in September of 2008 when Belmont routed Presbyterian 3-0 as part of Lipscomb's Hyatt Place Select Invitational.

About the Blue Hose

• The Blue Hose (3-2-1) have collected wins over NCAA Division II Mount Olive (1-0), Virginia Military Institute (VMI) (4-1) and Coastal Carolina (2-0) so far this season.
• Presbyterian is 1-2-1 on the road with its lone road triumph coming against the Chanticleers. The Blue Hose also earned a scoreless draw at the University of St. Thomas to begin the season.
• On Thursday evening, Presbyterian fell 2-1 at Georgia Southern.
• The Blue Hose were picked sixth in the Big South Conference Preseason Poll after tying for fifth in last year's final regular season standings with a 2-4-1 conference mark.
• Presbyterian went 6-8-2 overall last season.
• The Blue Hose feature senior midfielder Steven Cordova, a 2024 All-Big South Second Team selection, in addition to 18 newcomers.

Up Next
The Bruins begin a three-match road stretch next Wednesday when they travel to Southern Indiana for a 6 p.m. kickoff at Strassweg Field in Evansville, Indiana. On Sunday, Sept. 21, Belmont makes the short trip down Belmont Boulevard for the 28th Battle of the Boulevard against the rival Bisons.
 
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.