NASHVILLE, Tenn. - - Belmont University men's soccer opens Horizon League play Friday night versus Valparaiso.
The match comes no less than three and a half years following Belmont University's May 2011 announcement that it would be departing the Atlantic Sun Conference for the Ohio Valley Conference. After spending the 2012 and 2013 campaigns as an NCAA Division I independent, Belmont accepted affiliate membership to the Horizon League this past summer.
Freshman Rashad Hyacenth (D'Abadie, Trinidad & Tobago) was named to the All-Tournament Teams of the recent Belmont and Lipscomb Invitationals, while senior Luca Schioppa (Sao Paulo, Brazil) and junior Anthony Torres (Batavia, Ill.) were named to the Horizon League Watch List.
Torres and Valparaiso senior defender Mitch Albrecht both hail from Batavia, Ill. and were teammates at Batavia High School.
As for the Crusaders, they enjoyed a successful non-conference season, dropping just one of seven matches. The Crusaders defeated Loyola Tuesday, 1-0, and won at No. 16 Michigan State Sept. 11. Valparaiso has surrendered just three goals through seven matches, ranking fifth nationally in team goals against average (0.38). Goalkeeper Nico Campbell also ranks fifth nationally in goals against average (0.298). The Crusaders received votes in the NSCAA national Top 25 poll last week, and are No. 5 in this week's NSCAA Great Lakes region poll.
This marks the first meeting between Belmont and Valparaiso.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. CT from E.S. Rose Park.
The match will be broadcast live on the Horizon League Network and live stats will be available.
Match Notes - Valparaiso at Belmont
