NASHVILLE, Tenn. – A brace from sophomore midfielder Louis Peña propelled the Belmont University men's soccer team to an important 2-1 victory over Missouri Valley Conference regular season champion Evansville Wednesday night at E.S. Rose Park. With Peña's two-goal performance and the triumph, the Bruins (8-2-6, 3-2-2 MVC) clinch the No. 4 seed and first-round hosting responsibilities for the upcoming MVC Championship.
Belmont will host fifth-seeded the University of Illinois Chicago Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. in the opening round of the 2025 MVC Men's Soccer Championship. Admission is free and the match will be broadcast on
ESPN+.
Peña provided the game winner at the 69th minute after equalizing in the 39th minute.
The Bruins overcame a 1-0 deficit and remained disciplined on the Purple Aces' attack throughout the second half. Graduate goalkeeper
Grant Calvert continued his fantastic play as of late, coming up with four key saves and securing Belmont's last line of defense.
The Bruins placed five of 11 total shots on target and Belmont controlled the regular season finale from the end of the first half until its completion.
Evansville (6-4-8, 3-1-3) entered the match unbeaten in MVC play and already holding at least a share of the Valley's regular season crown after a win over Northern Illinois last Friday night.
The Purple Aces' Andres Escudero put the visitors up in the 28th minute on a long-distance strike from outside the 18-yard box that grazed the bottom of the top post before finding the back of the net. Following Evansville's goal, the Bruins were unwavering in building their opportunities.
Following a near equalizer from senior captain midfielder
Brad Dildy in the 37th minute, it was Peña who finished off a corner kick. Sophomore midfielder
Emmanuel Aranda found freshman midfielder
Nzuhri Biggar in the box, who headed the ball down to redshirt senior captain defender
Dylan Steely. As Steely attempted to gather the ball while falling backwards, Peña cleaned things up.
Belmont's game-winning goal was set up by Dildy 24 minutes into the second half when he fed the ball to freshman midfielder
Paul Claes Nielsen on the right side of the box. Claes Nielsen worked his defender as he drove into the penalty area before providing Peña with a crisp pass. Without hesitation, Peña swung in his second goal of the night.
In the 78th minute, it appeared the Purple Aces were destined to tie things up at two goals apiece. However, Escudero's open header inside the six-yard box connected squarely with the right post.
Calvert made the final save in the 83rd minute on attempt from way outside by Evansville's Martin Wurschmidt.
Five of the Purple Aces' seven shots were on target.
Both teams finished with four corner kicks.
Of Note
- The Bruins will host a conference tournament match for the first time since the opening round of the 2019 Southern Conference Championship.
- Belmont improves to 4-11-4 all-time versus Evansville.
- The Bruins have earned a result in six of their last seven meetings with the Purple Aces.
- Belmont has posted a result in 38 of its last 46 matches at Rose Park, outscoring its opponents 67-34 during that stretch.
- Since the start of the 2018 season, the Bruins are 32-14-13 at home.
- It marks the second consecutive match Belmont has had a player record a brace. Redshirt junior forward Brock Kiper scored twice in the Bruins' 5-0 road rout at Bradley last Friday en route to earning MVC Offensive Player of the Week honors.
- Claes Nielsen earned his team-leading fifth assist of the season on Peña's game winner.
- Peña knocked in his second and third goals of the season, his first scores since his penalty kick goal in Belmont's 2-1 season-opening home win over Wright State.
- Both Steely and Biggar's assists were their second of the season.
- Dildy's assist on Peña's game winner was his third helper of the year.
Up Next
The Bruins face the Flames in the Music City Sunday with the winner taking on top-seeded Evansville in the MVC Championship semifinals next Wednesday, Nov. 12 in Evansville, Indiana.
How to Follow
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@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
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