Belmont’s men’s soccer team will begin preseason play with two exhibition matches this week before the official season opener at Lipscomb on Aug. 24.
The Bruins will face off against Central Arkansas on the road Saturday night, then return home to play Tusculum at E.S. Rose Park on Wednesday.
The team is coming off a disappointing 2017 season, when it finished second to last in the conference with a 5-9-2 overall record and a 2-7 record in the Horizon League.
The team lost two seniors from last season, Dan Brown and Adriano Balani, but there are seven returning seniors and seven freshmen to round out the roster.
Other returning players include the Horizon League Freshman Men’s Soccer Player of the Year, Matteo Bennati.
Bennatti led the team in points, shots on goal and game-winning goals last season. He also took the lead in goals scored, tied with senior Adam Voloder, who is also returning.
The team will begin conference play on Oct. 6 at University of North Carolina Greensboro.