EVANSVILLE, Ind. – A pair of second-half goals in the closing 20 minutes pushed the University of Evansville past the Belmont University men's soccer team Wednesday evening in a 2-1 affair at Arad McCutchan Stadium. The Bruins (6-6-4, 2-2-2 MVC) led 1-0 following an 11th-minute goal from sophomore forward Jaxon Stokes, but couldn't keep the host Purple Aces (7-8-2, 5-1-0 MVC) out of the net in the final third of the match.
 
Despite the road loss, Belmont has earned the right to host a first-round match in the 2026 Missouri Valley Conference Championship. The Bruins are the No. 4 seed and will take on fifth-seeded University of Illinois Chicago Saturday at 6 p.m. at E.S. Rose Park in the Music City.
 
Belmont placed eight of its 10 shots on target in Evansville, Indiana, but the Bruins were outshot 20-10.
 
Evansville put together a strong surge late in the first half and controlled the majority of the second half. Belmont was unable to draw a corner kick in the second 45 minutes of action, while the Purple Aces earned six second-half corners. Outshooting the Bruins 13-6 in the first half, Evansville finished with 11 corners.
 
A little over 10 minutes into the contest, graduate midfielder Elijah John fed a long ball to an open Stokes in the center of the field as Stokes worked his way to the 18-yard box. Separating from his defender, Stokes hammered the ball past the Purple Aces' keeper from just off the six-yard line.

JAXON STOKES!!!!

Bruins take the lead a little over 10 minutes in!

#ItsBruinTime https://t.co/wqFUZjHczh
— Belmont Men's Soccer (@BelmontMSoccer) November 5, 2026
 

In the 72nd minute, Evansville defender Marc Martin found the back of the net to even the match.
 
Graduate midfielder John McDowell thought he had a go-ahead goal with a little over seven-and-a-half minutes to go following a short free kick by John. However, his shot, which landed in the upper left of the net, was waived off by a whistle due to a Belmont foul in the box.
 
Moments later in the 84th minute, the Purple Aces found the game winner. Evansville's Alejandro Fernandez scored on an assist from reserve forward Ben Zec.
 
In the final minute, senior forward Lucas Wolthers nearly evened things with a hard-hit ball that collided with the bottom of the crossbar and went directly into the ground.
 
Freshman goalkeeper Brody Sucher saved five of the Purple Aces' eight shots on goal.
 
Evansville's Hugo Amo collected seven saves in front of the net.
 
Of Note

• Stokes' goal was his third of the season and seventh of his career. He is now tied with fifth-year defender Nate Mefford for the most goals among current Bruins.
• John's assist on Stokes' strike was his fourth of the season, moving into a tie with McDowell for the team lead. His 21 career points are the most among active Belmont players.
• Sucher has made at least five saves in nine of his last 12 outings.
• The Bruins finish the regular season fourth in the final MVC standings for the second consecutive year.

Up Next
For the second-straight year, Belmont will host as the No. 4 seed in the first round of the MVC Championship. The MVC Championship semifinals will take place next Wednesday, Nov. 11 with the title match set for Saturday, Nov. 14 or Sunday, Nov. 15. Should the Bruins emerge victorious versus UIC Saturday, Belmont will travel to top-seeded Bowling Green for the semifinals next Wednesday.
 
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.