DES MOINES, Iowa – Opening Missouri Valley Conference play with three points on the road, the Belmont University men's soccer team defeated Drake 2-1 at Mediacom Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa, Saturday evening. Sophomore midfielder
Paul Claes Nielsen delivered the game winner with three minutes to go after graduate midfielder
John McDowell had given the Bruins (5-4-1, 1-0-0 MVC) a 1-0 lead on a penalty kick in the 76th minute.
All three goals of the match came in the final 15 minutes.
Belmont placed half of its 12 shots on target and freshman goalkeeper
Brody Sucher came up with five saves.
The Bulldogs (4-4-3, 0-2-0 MVC) were the aggressors for the majority of the second half until late when the Bruins capitalized in key moments.
All four of Belmont's corner kicks came in the first half but the Bruins were unable to convert their set piece opportunities. In the second half, Drake earned five corners and created chances, but Belmont's defense and Sucher would not allow the Bulldogs to get through until a short free kick in the 83rd minute.
Of Drake's 16 total shots, 13 were recorded in the second half.
With the score still even at 0-0, sophomore midfielder
Nzuhri Biggar had a great look at goal on a header in the 60th minute. However, his header attempt glanced wide right.
Driving down the left side of goal, sophomore forward
Jaxon Stokes drew a foul inside the 18-yard box, resulting in a penalty kick following a video review. McDowell took the PK and drilled it into the lower right corner. His third goal of the season gave the Bruins a promising 1-nil lead with just over 14 minutes left.
With less than 10 minutes remaining, Belmont was whistled for a foul just outside its own penalty area. Bulldog midfielder Jonathan Mendez took the free kick from about a yard out of the box and sent it into the right side of the net, tying the score at 1-1 in the 83rd minute.
Undeterred to get the road victory, graduate midfielder
Elijah John set up for a deep free kick from the right side. Finding fifth-year defender
Nate Mefford at the top of the box, Mefford headed the ball over to a cutting Claes Nielsen, who scored with his left from the top of the goal area.
Claes Nielsen's 88th-minute strike proved to be the difference as the Bruins fended off Drake's late threats, which included an 89th-minute corner.
Of Note
- Belmont has won three of its last four matches.
- The Bruins have claimed consecutive victories for the first time this season.
- Belmont improves to 4-1-3 in league openers under eighth-year head coach David Costa.
- The Bruins secure their first win against the Bulldogs in Des Moines.
- Claes Nielsen's game winner is his fourth goal of the season, tying Mefford for the team lead.
- John's assist on Claes Nielsen's game winner is his third helper of the season, tying McDowell as Belmont's assist leaders this season. It was his 20th career point.
Up Next
The Bruins remain on the road early next week, traveling to the University of Alabama at Birmingham Tuesday night for their final non-conference match of the season. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. from PNC Field in Birmingham, Alabama. The midweek match will be broadcast on
ESPN+. Next Sunday, Oct. 11, Belmont hosts Bradley for its MVC home opener at E.S. Rose Park.
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.
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