NASHVILLE, Tenn. – For the third-straight year, the Belmont University men's soccer team defeated nearby rival Lipscomb University 2-0, doing so Tuesday night at E.S. Rose Park in the 29th Battle of the Boulevard. An early goal from senior forward
Lucas Wolthers (5') and a late insurance strike from sophomore midfielder
Nzuhri Biggar (79'), paired with stalwart defense, supercharged the Bruins (2-2-1) to their sixth result in the last seven meetings with the Bisons.
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With the victory, Belmont takes a 13-12-4 lead in the all-time rivalry series.
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Forced to play a man down for the final 20 minutes of the match due to senior forward
Nathan Ferguson being sent off with his second yellow card in the 70th minute, the Bruins conceded nothing.
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Freshman goalkeeper
Brody Sucher was sensational, coming up with a career-high seven saves as Belmont fended off 17 total shots and eight corner kicks.
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Less than five minutes into the evening, Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week
John McDowell played a ball to Wolthers just inside the 18-yard box. With a nifty turn, Wolthers lifted his first goal of the season off his left foot, sending the well-struck ball past Lipscomb's lunging goalkeeper.
Sophomore forward
Jaxon Stokes thought he had put the Bruins up 2-0 on a beautiful counterattack by Stokes and sophomore midfielder
Paul Claes Nielsen in the 26th minute. However, Stokes was called offside and the play was upheld following a Belmont challenge and video review.
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After Wolthers' go-ahead tally, the Bisons (1-3-1) threatened often in the second half. Lipscomb put six shots on target across the closing 30 minutes of the match and recorded 13 second-half shots in total.
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Sucher made two incredible saves in the 60th and 64th minutes, going full extension for punchouts on a pair of heaters.
Stokes once again nearly gave the Bruins a 2-0 lead in the 67th minute, but his shot from about 10 yards out was played perfectly by the Bisons' Alex Kara.
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With just 10 on the field and a little under 12 minutes to go, Belmont created a chance and executed. McDowell sent in a corner and graduate captain midfielder
Ethan Schlegel headed down a ball towards the six-yard box. Lipscomb attempted to send the ball out but Biggar waited at the top of the goal area, settling with his right and scoring with his left.
The Bruins placed six of their eight shots on goal.
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Of Note
- Belmont earns its first shutout of the season.
- The Bruins have won three straight in the Battle of the Boulevard for the first time since 2005 when Belmont won its seventh in a row versus the Bisons.
- Eighth-year head coach David Costa improves to 4-1-2 in Battle of the Boulevard matches.
- The Bruins have earned a result in 40 of their last 50 matches at Rose Park, outscoring their opponents 70-38 during that stretch.
- Wolthers and Biggar are now tied with graduate midfielder Elijah John, fifth-year defender Nate Mefford and Stokes for the most career goals (4) among active Belmont players.
- McDowell notched his team-leading second assist of the season on Wolthers' goal.
Up Next
The Bruins hit the road this weekend, traveling to East Tennessee State University Saturday. Kickoff from Summers-Taylor Stadium in Johnson City, Tennessee, is set for 5 p.m. CT/6 p.m. ET and the non-conference match will be broadcast on
ESPN+.
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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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#ItsBruinTime
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