Belmont Men’s Soccer Defeats Bowling Green State in First Conference Home Game

Grant Calvert prepares to kick. Photo by Daisy Andersen

The unbeaten Bruins, now 6-0-4, overtook the Bowling Green State Falcons with a dominant 4-1 interconference victory.

Immediately following Bowling Green State University’s kickoff, Belmont regained possession of the ball.

Tensions flared as Bowling Green head coach Eric Nichols received a yellow card only seven minutes into the game.

The two teams wrestled back and forth, pushing offensively, each earning corner kicks.

Senior captain defender Dylan Steely’s shot was blocked by Falcon goalkeeper Jason Ball. Freshman midfielder Nzuhri Biggar acted fast, turning around Ball’s deflection and scoring his first Belmont goal 11 minutes in.

Just nine minutes later, Brad Dildy, senior captain midfielder, scored with an assist from forward redshirt junior Brock Kiper.

The Bruins took the lead at half with a score of 2-0. Belmont head coach David Costa highlighted the importance of the home match.

“It's great to play in front of our fans at home. We've got alumni night going on as well, so I just love watching the guys perform,” Costa said.

The Bruins continued their high-level performance into the second half, starting at kickoff. After two shots on goal from the Falcons, Belmont pushed back with a shot from redshirt junior midfielder Ethan Schlegel, earning a corner kick. Despite a missed cross, the Bruins kept the ball up field until freshman forward Jaxon Stokes tapped it in off a pass from Schlegel.

With the Bruins up 3-0, the Falcons fought offensively to score and tried to make up ground. BGSU junior forward Bennett Painter passed to junior defender Saul Rios off a free kick, putting in the Falcons’ only goal in the 60th minute.

In an impressive breakaway, redshirt senior forward Jimiyu Mark scored Belmont’s fourth goal with a pass from Biggar less than a minute after BGSU’s goal.

Although the rest of the game remained scoreless, both teams put up strong fights. The Falcons could not overtake the Bruins’ three-score lead, ending the game at 4-1.

“Now, winning 4-, I was really proud of how we fought today. We closed out the game very well, and that was something we didn't do during our last home game,” said Belmont goalkeeper Grant Calvert.

Looking forward to Tuesday’s match against Louisville, Dildy explained that a strong team identity leads to success.

“I think it's crucial, especially going to the next game against an ACC opponent... to be able to play a full 90 where we're feeling like ourselves being our team, the identity was very present today. I think that just gives us a lot of confidence moving forward,” Dildy said.