Men's Soccer’s Season Ends in Heartbreaking MVC Tournament Loss

Photo taken by Kali Akridge

Belmont’s chippy and competitive first-round 1-0 loss to UIC stopped them from proceeding in the MVC championship.

With the temperature at a crisp 43 degrees and a wind speed of 13 mph, the conditions made the game more difficult.

Nine minutes into the game, UIC scored on an own goal by the Bruins, and this was only the beginning of the downhill spiral.

Belmont ended the first half with a total of five shots on goal, contributed by Riley Clothier, Captain Brad Dildy, Paul Claes Nielsen and Ethan Schlegel.

Defender Parker Forbes fouled three times in the first half, contributing to the Bruins' total of eight fouls with the Flames following close behind with seven fouls.

Noah Stevens, the president of the Belmont M.O.B, was disappointed in the final outcome.

“It was a rough ending. Our guys played their hearts out and were relentless on the attack,” he said, “The moment that stands out is our goal that was called back for offsides on a corner kick, which shouldn’t happen. I feel bad for our guys; they deserved a better ending.”

Belmont pushed through in the second half with a possession total of 65% with UIC at 35%. The Flames channeled their aggression into fouling and yellow cards with a total of 15 fouls by the end of the game.

In the last stretch both Bruins player Jimiyu Mark and Flames player Darrel Turcios, got a yellow card back-to-back.

The game ended with Belmont players lying on the field soaking up their last moments of the season. -   

This article was written by Kali Akridge