#soccer

Nov 15, 2021
3 min

Recap: Bruins fall short of SoCon Championship title in 3-4 thriller

Belmont men’s soccer lost by one goal in a dramatic bout against Mercer University at the Southern Conference Championship game. Though it seemed the Bruins would hold their early 2-0 lead, the tides shifted in the dying minutes of the first half, leaving them to fight to a bitter 3-4 defeat. The game marks the second season in a row head coach David Costa’s squad has made it to the conference finale and left defeated. Mercer’s Bears struggled getting started in the beginning

Regular season report: Men’s soccer cruises on historic winning streak, competitive SoCon tour

David Pang

Nov 1, 2021
3 min

Regular season report: Men’s soccer cruises on historic winning streak, competitive SoCon tour

Belmont’s men’s soccer program capped off its best conference season to date after the Southern Conference wrapped up regular season play Saturday. Going into the postseason, the Bruins rank third in SoCon with an 11-4-2 record that includes a victory over tournament favorite — University of North Carolina Greensboro. “The biggest highlight that represents all the work that we’ve done was the win against UNCG,” said senior forward Niccolo Dagnoni. “Being able to win and show

Celebrations and consolations for women’s soccer after a loss on senior night

Camden Morris

Oct 25, 2021
2 min

Celebrations and consolations for women’s soccer after a loss on senior night

Wrapping up regular season play with senior night, Belmont women’s soccer faced a tough 3-0 defeat against Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville Sunday. Despite the shutout game — the final regular-season OVC game for seven senior Bruins on the squad — Belmont head coach Heather Henson expressed positive thoughts afterward. “Today was the day of opportunities for us. Another day to battle, another day to compete, another day to support their family,” she said. A sunny

Women’s soccer rebounds from loss, beats Morehead State 2-0 at home

AJ Wuest

Oct 15, 2021
2 min

Women’s soccer rebounds from loss, beats Morehead State 2-0 at home

Belmont women’s soccer redeemed itself with a 2-0 win and its fifth clean sheet of the season against Morehead State University at E.S. Rose Park on Thursday. Junior Loren House netted a brace, scoring both goals in the first half to stack up her third and fourth points of the season. “Since we lost our first conference game on Tuesday, I think we were all ready to kind of get back and redeem ourselves,” said House. “We’ve been working really hard on restarts.” The first goal

Senior Spotlight: Soccer’s JP Armbruster belongs at Belmont

Jessica Mattsson

Oct 12, 2021
3 min

Senior Spotlight: Soccer’s JP Armbruster belongs at Belmont

Taking to the field as squad co-captain and a Belmont graduate student, JP Armbruster started his soccer story at the age of 3. “I brought the ball everywhere with me,” Armbruster said. “I remember I would take it when I would go to Costco with my mom.” A third-generation player with the game in his veins, Armbruster is in the middle of his third season as a Bruin. The defensive midfielder logged over 2,000 minutes on the field his first two seasons in his Belmont kit. This 2

Record-breaking winning streak continues for men’s soccer with Saturday sweep against Wofford

Jessica Mattsson

Oct 10, 2021
3 min

Record-breaking winning streak continues for men’s soccer with Saturday sweep against Wofford

Belmont men’s soccer outperformed its opponent on home turf once again Saturday with a 1-0 sunset victory over the Wofford College Terriers. Going 8-1-1 over the past ten games, the triumph marks the Bruins’ seventh shutout of the season and breaks the school record for longest winning streak at home. “Tonight’s game was huge for us. It gives us another opportunity to control our own destinies when we move forward in the conference standings and that’s exactly what we want,”

Second-half headway secures home-field soccer win against Bellarmine

Camden Morris

Sep 30, 2021
2 min

Second-half headway secures home-field soccer win against Bellarmine

With a slow start to the first half, men’s soccer persevered to defeat Bellarmine University 1-0 after a dramatic end to Wednesday night’s game at E.S. Rose Park. Belmont forward Esteban Leiva scored his first goal of the season to secure the win, assisted by senior Jack Shaw with only 18 minutes left in the game. The Bruins have been undefeated in five straight home games, creating what Belmont head coach David Costa called a “winning habit” which will be tested on the road

Senior Spotlight: Sydney Cason on tough breaks and total sacrifice

Reily Chestnut

Sep 29, 2021
4 min

Senior Spotlight: Sydney Cason on tough breaks and total sacrifice

Over the past three years, Sydney Cason has broken her arm, her hand and her thumb, but she never let that keep her from playing soccer. “It still hits me some days like ‘I can’t believe I broke my arm that intensely,’” Cason said. The injury left her with a 12-inch metal plate and 11 screws in her body, as well as a new mindset. The day her arm broke, Aug. 9, 2018, was less than a year after Cason made her first big collegiate impression as a freshman out of Hendersonville H

Mid-season report: Women’s soccer kicks off OVC play with 1-0 win against SEMO

Jessica Mattsson

Sep 27, 2021
3 min

Mid-season report: Women’s soccer kicks off OVC play with 1-0 win against SEMO

After eight regular-season games over the past month, Belmont women’s soccer took a needed halftime break before starting up Ohio Valley Conference play, facing Southeast Missouri State University on Sunday. “This has been a good week to recharge and so coming in, I think SEMO is one of those teams that it’s gonna be fast, it’s gonna be a hard-fought battle,” head coach Heather Henson said. And Henson was right — the Bruins’ E.S. Rose Park game against the SEMO Redhawks came

Men’s soccer starts conference play on a winning streak with alumni night victory

Finn Birnie

Sep 20, 2021
3 min

Men’s soccer starts conference play on a winning streak with alumni night victory

The men’s soccer team made program history with four consecutive home victories, banking a 1-0 home-field win against East Tennessee University in the Bruins’ first Southern Conference game Saturday. Coming out undefeated in its last five fixtures, most notably a 1-1 draw against No. 22 ranked rivals Lipscomb University, the Bruins are showing confidence and consistency in their season so far. “We talk all the time about creating good habits and eliminating bad ones and the r

Belmont soccer draws 1-1 against Lipscomb in latest Battle of the Boulevard

David Pang

Sep 15, 2021
3 min

Belmont soccer draws 1-1 against Lipscomb in latest Battle of the Boulevard

In a storied rivalry spanning multiple seasons, the Belmont men’s soccer team took on No. 22 ranked Lipscomb University Tuesday night at the Lipscomb Soccer Complex. In a relentless battle, the Bruins managed to stave off an aggressive Bison team to walk away with a 1-1 draw. “It was a rivalry game, a tale of two halves. I thought we were really good in the first half,” said Belmont head coach David Costa. “Gritty performance overall to come away still with the point and to k

Overtime O’Brien sinks two to secure winning streak for the Bruins

Jessica Mattsson

Sep 11, 2021
3 min

Overtime O’Brien sinks two to secure winning streak for the Bruins

After wearing down Georgia State University in double overtime, Belmont men’s soccer brought home a 2-1 golden-goal victory at E.S. Rose Park Friday. “It’s our first overtime game this year. It was a good test against a good team,” said forward Liam O’Brien. “Two wins in a row and then we get another one, so it is nice to get the momentum going.” Coming out undefeated over their last three match-ups, most recently with a Labor Day one-to-nil win against Southern Illinois Univ

Women’s soccer narrowly edged out by Western Kentucky

David Pang

Sep 10, 2021
3 min

Women’s soccer narrowly edged out by Western Kentucky

The Bruins’ dramatic two-match winning streak at home came to an end Thursday night after a defense-heavy contest against Western Kentucky University. In a tight back-and-forth game on the home pitch at E.S. Rose Park, WKU ultimately defeated Belmont by one goal to nil. All the same, the Bruins impressed their coach with their ability to persevere and continue playing while down a goal through the final quarter. “We’re going to battle to the end,” said women’s head coach Heat

Men’s soccer team triumphs over UNC Asheville in home opener

David Pang

Sep 3, 2021
3 min

Men’s soccer team triumphs over UNC Asheville in home opener

Belmont University’s men’s soccer team faced off against the University of North Carolina Asheville in the first home game of the regular season Thursday, kicking off a three-game homestand in Music City. Belmont played to a 1-0 win over their opponent, a decisive and much-needed win after a difficult stretch away. Men’s head coach David Costa left the field satisfied with his team’s performance against UNCA. “It was a really collective effort. They really went after us, so f

Women’s soccer clinches late win in home opener

Jessica Mattsson

Aug 29, 2021
3 min

Women’s soccer clinches late win in home opener

Kick-starting their home gameplay with a double overtime showing, Belmont women’s soccer outperformed University of Chattanooga 2-1 on Friday. With 12 seconds left in the second overtime, sophomore forward Maci Pekmezian scored the decisive goal of the game to secure a much-needed win for the Bruins at E.S. Rose Park. “I’m really happy. That’s like my first college goal, so it was crazy,” Pekmezian said. “We’ve been battling the past few games and it just hasn’t gone our way,

Sep 21, 2015
1 min

Photo story: Women’s soccer loses to Troy

The Belmont women’s soccer team fell to the Troy Trojans Sunday at E.S. Rose Park. Meg Howard scored Belmont’s only goal in the 73rd minute as the Trojans outscored the Bruins 2-1. Belmont slips to 1-6-1 before opening conference play at home against Tennessee Tech Thursday at 6:30 p.m. Photo story by Grant Robinson #soccer #Sports #womens

Sep 9, 2015
1 min

VIDEO: Stephanie Bukovec: Freestyling in her free time

Generally a goalkeeper is best with her hands, but for Belmont women’s soccer player Stephanie Bukovec, her footwork sets her apart. The Canada native is hired by different organizations to freestyle for various events. This summer, she toured at the FIFA Women’s World Cup and stood out as the only female freestyler in Canada. #Juggling #womenssoccer #steph #keeper #freestyler #freestylefootball #freestylejuggling #belmontfreestyler #Belmontwomenssoccer #goalkeeper #freestyl

Dec 2, 2014
1 min

VIDEO: Bruin Blitz Nov. 25-Dec. 2

It’s a finals edition of Bruin Blitz. Before you start studying for those finals, catch up on all the news in Belmont Athletics you may have missed over Thanksgiving Break. From Craig Bradshaw’s record-breaking performance to the soccer teams earning academic recognition, Bruin Blitz covers it all. This is the final episode of the fall semester but new episodes will return in January with sports editor Emily Proud. #womenssoccer #SierraJones #NCAAera #NCAA #gpa #AlisonAlcott

Nov 5, 2014
3 min

Backline buds: Martin and Alcott’s one-of-a-kind bond

For any defense to succeed on the pitch, a strong connection is vital, and women’s soccer central defenders Alison Alcott and Meredith Martin have it mastered. The powerful duo’s contrasting playing styles are what make their bond undeniable. “They are left and right hand, yin and yang. They’ll joke around about it,” said Belmont coach Heather Henson. “When one has been injured, the other’s like, ‘where’s my buddy? Where’s my right hand?’” The characteristics Alcott and Marti

Nov 1, 2014
2 min

Postseason hopes end with senior day loss

Entering the match Saturday, the Belmont men’s soccer team still had a chance to make a late-season push toward the Horizon League conference tournament. All the Bruins needed were two victories and other results from around the league. However, Belmont’s postseason hopes ended with a 1-0 loss to Detroit on senior day at E.S. Rose Park. Adam Clauss scored the lone goal of the match on a penalty kick in the 38th minute. “When you go down a goal to a team like that, they’re oka