Men’s Soccer Travels to Bowling Green for Sunday Matinee

 
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – Returning to road action after consecutive home matches, the Belmont University men's soccer team visits Bowling Green State University Sunday afternoon. Kickoff from Cochrane Stadium in Bowling Green, Ohio, is set for 2 p.m. CT/3 p.m. ET.
 
The Missouri Valley Conference road matchup will be broadcast on YouTube and live stats of the contest can be followed by visiting BelmontBruins.com.
 
What's Bruin

• The Bruins (6-4-3, 2-0-1 MVC) extended their season-best unbeaten streak to five last Saturday evening with a 2-2 home draw versus the University of Illinois Chicago.
• Belmont has earned a result in eight of its last 10 matches, going 5-2-3.
• With their result last weekend, the Bruins stretched their home unbeaten streak to six matches.
• Belmont is undefeated through its first three matches in MVC play for the first time since 2022, the Bruins' first season back in the Valley. That season, Belmont began conference play 2-0-2.
• The Bruins have scored two goals in each of their first three MVC matches.
• Graduate midfielder John McDowell scored an equalizing penalty kick goal in the 64th minute last Saturday against UIC after senior forward Lucas Wolthers put Belmont up 1-0 within the opening 14 minutes of the match.
• McDowell's PK last Saturday was his fourth of the season. He has scored on a PK in each of the Bruins' first three MVC matches and leads Belmont in goals (5).
• Wolthers' go-ahead goal versus the Flames was his third of the season. He has scored three goals in consecutive seasons and is tied with sophomore forward Jaxon Stokes with six career goals, the second most of any Bruin.
• In its first two MVC matches, Belmont won by an identical 2-1 score courtesy of a McDowell PK and an 88th-minute game winner. Sophomore midfielder Paul Claes Nielsen scored the game winner in the Bruins' MVC-opening win at Drake (Oct. 3) and Stokes smashed in a remarkable, deep game-winning goal in Belmont's home victory over Bradley (Oct. 11).
• The Bruins captured an MVC Player of the Week award in consecutive weeks to begin October. Claes Nielsen was selected as MVC Player of the Week on Oct. 6 following his game winner over the Bulldogs in Des Moines, Iowa, and fifth-year defender Nate Mefford was chosen as MVC Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 13 after assisting on Stokes' game-winning goal against the Braves. With his assist, Mefford notched his 18th career point, which is the second most of any Belmont player.
• Both Claes Nielsen and Mefford have found the back of the net four times this season for the second-most goals on the team.
• With a crucial assist on Claes Nielsen's game winner at Drake, graduate midfielder Elijah John earned his 20th career point, which is the most of any Bruin.
• Freshman goalkeeper Brody Sucher, who owns two clean sheets on the year, has registered a career-high seven saves three times. He has made at least five saves in six of his last nine outings.
• Eleven different Belmont players have scored this season, accounting for 25 total goals, which are tied for the 53rd-most in the nation.
• The Bruins' 1.92 goals per match average is tied for 45th-best nationally.
• Belmont has scored at least three goals on four occasions this season, including an impressive 6-1 win at Wright State in the Bruins' opening road match.
• Belmont welcomed 10 newcomers this year, including eight over the summer and two in January — senior forward Nathan Ferguson and freshman defender Judah McCloud.
• The Bruins' 2026 class is comprised of six freshmen and four transfers.
• Belmont returned 16 from 2025, including 12 letter winners.
• Only four returning Bruins started matches last season — Claes Nielsen (16), sophomore midfielder Nzuhri Biggar (10), graduate midfielder Ethan Schlegel (9), and Wolthers (6).
• After finishing just one point shy of claiming its first MVC regular season championship last year, Belmont was picked fifth in the league's preseason poll as voted by the Valley's head coaches.
• The Bruins went 3-2-2 in MVC play in 2025 and finished 8-3-6 overall.
• Belmont has reached eight victories in three of the last five seasons.
• The Bruins went undefeated through their first 11 matches last season (6-0-5) for the first time in school history.
• Belmont put together a program-record 13-match unbeaten streak from Oct. 29, 2024, through Oct. 7, 2025.
• Claes Nielsen, an MVC All-Freshman Team selection last fall, was named to the Preseason All-MVC Team. The Copenhagen, Denmark, native started all but one match his freshman season and led the Bruins in assists (5).

Versus Bowling Green

• Sunday afternoon will be just the fifth all-time meeting between Belmont and Bowling Green. The Bruins have won three of the first four matchups.
• Last October, Belmont routed the Falcons 4-1 at E.S. Rose Park in Nashville. Biggar scored the first goal of the match in the 12th minute, and Stokes gave the Bruins a 3-0 lead in the 56th. Forward Jimiyu Mark capped Belmont's scoring in the 61st minute after midfielder Brad Dildy had put the Bruins up 2-0 at the half.
• Belmont also defeated Bowling Green 2-1 in October of 2023 and 3-2 in September of 2011.
• All three of the Bruins' victories in the series have taken place at Rose Park.
• The Falcons won 1-0 in Belmont's lone visit to Bowling Green in late September 2024. Bowling Green was receiving votes in the national top-25 poll at the time and scored the only goal of the contest 39 minutes in.

About the Falcons

• The Falcons (6-6-2, 3-1-0 MVC) enter the weekend on a five-match winning streak.
• Bowling Green sits atop the MVC standings with a 3-0-1 conference record through four league matches.
• Following a 1-0 home loss to Western Michigan in their MVC opener on Sept. 25, the Falcons have rattled off five-straight wins. Last Saturday night, Bowling Green defeated Evansville 1-0 in Indiana after topping Drake 3-1 at home the previous weekend. The Falcons picked up their first MVC win of the season with a 2-1 triumph at Bradley on Oct. 3.
• Bowling Green is coming off a 2-0 road shutout of Oakland University this past Tuesday night.
• The Falcons finished seventh in the Valley last season, going 1-4-2 in MVC play and 5-8-4 overall in 2025.
• A trio of Bowling Green players have scored a team-best three goals this season led by sophomore midfielder Caue Ramos, who leads the Falcons in points (9) with three assists. Sophomore forward Tyson McCoy and sophomore defender Xavier Sims have also found the back of the net three times this fall.
• Like Ramos, senior midfielder Aiden Ptacek has also assisted on three goals this year, while McCoy has assisted on a pair of scores to go along with his three tallies.

Up Next
The Bruins return to Music City next weekend for senior night Friday against defending MVC tournament champion Western Michigan. Kickoff from Rose Park next Friday is slated for 6:30 p.m. with Belmont's seniors being honored prior to the match. The MVC home affair will be broadcast on ESPN+. All Bruin soccer matches at Rose Park are free to attend.
 
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.