Belmont (6-3-1) vs. IUPUI (2-6-1) | Tuesday, Oct. 5 | 4:00 p.m.
Nashville, Tennessee | E.S. Rose Park
ESPN+ | Live Stats | Belmont Match Notes
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Returning to the friendly confines of E.S. Rose Park, the Belmont University men's soccer team begins a four-match homestand late Tuesday afternoon by hosting Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). Kickoff of the non-conference tilt between the Bruins (6-3-1) and the visiting Jaguars (2-6-1) is slated for 4 p.m.
The match was originally slated for 6:30 p.m. but was bumped up two-and-a-half hours due to forecasted thunderstorms in the Nashville area.
The contest will be broadcast live on ESPN+ with Will Boling providing play-by-play of the affair. Live in-game statistics will be available via BelmontBruins.com.
What's Bruin
- Having claimed back-to-back shutouts for the second time this season, Belmont goes for its second three-match win streak of the fall after earning three straight victories to start the month of September.
- With a 5-0 rout of VMI on the road Saturday afternoon, the Bruins are 6-1-1 across their last eight matches.
- Looking to extend its program record five-match home winning streak, Belmont claimed its fourth shutout in the Music City this fall with a 1-0 triumph over Bellarmine University last Wednesday night. Sophomore midfielder AJ Chastonay improved to 2-0 versus his father, Tim Chastonay, who is the longtime head coach of the Knights, with the help of sophomore forward Esteban Leiva who scored the game-winning goal in the 73rd minute.
- Winning eight of their last 10 home matches, the Bruins have gone 14-7-3 at Rose Park since the start of the 2018 season.
- Belmont put up a season-high 11 shots on target and earned eight corner kicks in the Bruins' first road victory of the season Saturday afternoon. Finishing with 24 total shots, Belmont dominated the matchup with the host Keydets as senior forward Liam O'Brien became the first Bruin to register a hat trick since fellow senior forward Niccolo Dagnoni did so on Oct. 12, 2019, against Wofford. Both Chastonay and Leiva notched first-half goals before O'Brien's three scores.
- Chastonay scored his third goal of his sophomore campaign unassisted in the seventh minute, before Leiva rose up for a 14th-minute header on a Dagnoni pass. It was Leiva's second goal in consecutive outings following his first start as a Bruin.
- O'Brien gave Belmont a 3-0 lead within the opening 35 minutes of the match, scoring on junior midfielder Davis Eddleman's first career assist. Sophomore defender Case Cox also received an assist on the goal, providing a touch pass in the box on Eddleman's fine cross. Cox would record his second assist on the day in the 54th, launching a deep throw-in to O'Brien inside the box for a scoring header.
- Junior midfielder Corey Lavinder collected his second career assist in his first appearance of the season after setting up senior midfielder JP Armbruster, who delivered a fabulous ball into the box for O'Brien to secure his hat trick in the 76th. The primary assist was also Armbruster's second of his career and first of the fall.
- Senior goalkeeper Drew Romig, who was tabbed Southern Conference Defensive Player of the Month for September last Friday, made four saves at VMI. Junior goalkeeper Nate Logan got his first action in goal for the Bruins in the second half, closing out the final 23:45 of the match in front of the net.
- Now with a team-best five goals this season, O'Brien owns 11 for his career. He is only one shy of moving into the top 10 for goals in program history and has two braces and a hat trick in his four-year Belmont career. The Freehold, New Jersey, product willed the Bruins to a 2-1 overtime win over Georgia State earlier this season (Sept. 10) with both a first-half score and the golden goal.
- Dagnoni's first-half assist on Leiva's goal against the Keydets represented the 20th of his career and team-best fifth of the season. He is now only five away from tying Nico Olsak (2010-13) for the most ever by a Belmont player. With a trio of goals, the Milan, Italy, native owns 11 points on the season and 50 for his career. In sole possession of third place, Dagnoni needs just four more points to move into a tie for second place on the school's all-time points leaders list. Dagnoni is also tied with Dan Meacock (2008-11) for the fourth-most goals in program history with 15 for his career.
- With Cox's two assists Saturday afternoon, he now owns three this fall and is tied with senior midfielder/defender Jack Shaw for the second-most of any Bruin.
- Romig, who ranks among national leaders in shutouts, earned a combined shutout with Logan at VMI and now has 33 saves on the season.
- Tuesday afternoon will be just the fourth all-time meeting between Belmont and IUPUI. The Bruins and Jaguars are deadlocked at 1-1-1 in the series with Belmont last facing IUPUI on Oct. 15, 2017.
- A former conference matchup when both teams were members of the Horizon League during the 2017 season, the Bruins came away with a 1-0 win in Indianapolis.
- Tuesday will be the first-ever match for the Jaguars at Rose Park as the two programs met at neutral sites their first two meetings.
- Last Tuesday morning it was announced by Belmont President Dr. Gregory Jones that Belmont would be joining the Missouri Valley Conference as its 11th member institution. The Bruins will begin competition in the MVC in the fall of 2022. The MVC is comprised of Missouri State, Loyola University Chicago, SIUE, Drake, Bradley and Evansville for men's soccer. Belmont will make up the seventh member in the league.
About the Jaguars
- IUPUI is on a five-match skid with its most recent victory coming on Sept. 11, a 1-0 home win over Wright State to begin Horizon League play. The Jaguars also picked up a 1-0 triumph at Western Illinois on Sept. 3.
- On Sept. 21, IUPUI was defeated 1-0 by Bellarmine at home. The Knights are the Jaguars and Bruins' lone regular season common opponent thus far. IUPUI also took on SIUE in preseason play on Aug. 21 in Edwardsville, Illinois, dropping a 2-0 decision. Belmont bested the visiting Cougars 1-0 in its second home match of the season.
- The Jaguars sit in 10th place in the 11-team Horizon with a 1-4 league record after being picked to finish last in the conference.
- Featuring junior midfielder Chris Workman, a 2019 Horizon League All-Freshman Team selection, IUPUI has had five different players score a goal this season. Sophomore forward Tylin Broaders has distributed a team-leading two assists, primarily coming off the bench.
Up Next
The Bruins continue their four-match homestand Saturday when they step back into SoCon play and welcome Wofford to the Music City. Kickoff from Rose Park is scheduled for 5 p.m. with the match broadcast on ESPN+.
Follow Belmont men's soccer on social media - @BelmontMSoccer on Twitter and @belmontmsoccer on Instagram - 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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