Bruins Remain Unbeaten, Pick Up 1-1 Road Draw at Northern Kentucky

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Despite playing a man down for the last 31 minutes, the Belmont University men's soccer team earned a hard-fought, 1-1 road draw at Northern Kentucky University Saturday night. Redshirt junior forward Brock Kiper netted his team-best third goal of the season in the 54th minute after the host Norse (2-1-1) scored on a penalty kick late in the first half.
 
With the road result, the Bruins (3-0-2) tie their longest unbeaten streak (7) in program history. Belmont's seven-match unbeaten streak dates back to Oct. 25 of last year.
 
The Bruins fended off 15 Northern Kentucky shots and graduate goalkeeper Grant Calvert came up with a season-best six saves, including five in the second half.
 
The Norse had four corner kicks within the first 15 minutes of the match and finished with eight, while Belmont earned only one corner in each half. The Bruins placed just two of their six shots on target.
 
Northern Kentucky committed 18 fouls and there were five total cards issued on the night, including a red card on redshirt senior forward Jimiyu Mark in the 59th minute.
 
Belmont was whistled for a foul inside the box in the 42nd minute and the Norse's Silas Borgman put the home team up 1-0 on the PK. Nearly eight-and-a-half minutes into the second half, Kiper fired a deflected ball off his right foot into the lower right of the goal to even the score.
 
Following Mark's ejection, the Bruins played inspired and disciplined defense to thwart each Northern Kentucky attack. Belmont put together a trio of strong chances in the closing 20 minutes with both freshman midfielder Paul Claes Nielsen and redshirt junior defender Nate Mefford freeing themselves in the box. However, the Bruins were unable to make a connection.
 
In the 89th minute, redshirt sophomore midfielder Lucas Wolthers had a good look at goal on the right side, but his shot sailed high and right.

Post-match thoughts from @Grantca1vert following the Bruins' 1-1 road draw at Northern Kentucky ?? pic.twitter.com/8RzHTo0HmF

— Belmont Men's Soccer (@BelmontMSoccer) September 7, 2025

Of Note

• 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 also put together a seven-match unbeaten streak to start the 2020 season and held a seven-match undefeated streak most recently during the 2022 season.
• Kiper's goal is the 11th of his career, and he now owns 24 career points.
• Belmont has secured a result in eight of its last nine matches going back to last season.
• The Bruins improve to 2-4-0 all-time versus the Norse, winning both of the last two meetings.

Up Next
Belmont will have just over a week off from match action before returning to the Music City next Sunday, Sept. 14 to face Presbyterian College. Kickoff from E.S. Rose Park in Nashville is slated for 1 p.m. All Bruin home matches are free to attend and are broadcast live 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.