Belmont Tops Montevallo 3-2 In Exhibition Match
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - - The Belmont men's soccer team came back from a 2-0 deficit to defeat Montevallo by a score of 3-2 in its first home contest of the 2010 season, Wednesday afternoon. Junior Will Moorad and sophomore Brandon Tarr each recorded one goal and one assist in the exhibition victory.
The Bruins tied the game at 2-2 in the 50th minute when Tarr finished off a corner kick by heading it passed the Montevallo goalkeeper. Junior Edgardo Padilla's corner kick found Moorad, who flicked the ball on to an open Tarr. Less than 10 minutes later the two forwards switched places, as Tarr found Moorad for the game-winner in the 60th minute. Tarr played a ball to a streaking Moorad down the left side, who beat the Falcons keeper to give Belmont the victory.
"It's a great result and an important result for us," head coach Earle Davidson said. "These pre-season games are about ironing things out before the regular season begins. I think we saw some things out there in the first half that we now won't see two weeks from now. What was important was that in the second half, we played our game. We took care of the ball, we made them chase us a bit, and we played possession in the attacking third. When we do that, it makes it hard for the other team to do what they're best at."
Montevallo got out to an early 2-0 lead, scoring both goals within a minute of each other in the first half. Junior Phil Jackson scored off of an assist from sophomore Stephen Beatty to open the scoring after 20:15 had passed. After intercepting a Belmont pass in the back, senior Nathaniel Foster found fellow senior Milan Pualic for a goal a mere 50 seconds later to give Montevallo the 2-0 lead.
Senior Brett Parker entered the game as a sub for the Bruins and got the team right back in the game. The forward received a pass from freshman Cody Stratton and fired a shot from around 30 yards out right over the Montevallo goalkeeper. The score made it 2-1 in favor of the Falcons with just less than four minutes remaining in the opening frame.
Belmont came out of the halftime break fired up, scoring the two goals by Tarr and Moorad and holding on to the 3-2 win. Senior Wesley Wray and junior Juho Illi split equal time in goal for the second straight match. Illi allowed no scores in the second half for the second straight game, helping to lead the Bruins to the victory.
"Juho's got a lot of poise," said Davidson on Illi. "He's got a lot of confidence, and I think that radiates through the team. That's important. When we have that confidence in the back, the other guys can focus on what they need to be doing."
Belmont will next open the regular season with two road contests, challenging Memphis on September 1 at 7:00 p.m. and traveling to SIU Edwardsville on September 4 at 6:00 p.m. The Bruins will then return home to host the Belmont Invitational on September 10 and 12. Belmont will play Centenary on the 10th at 6:30 p.m. and Gardner-Webb on the 12th at 2:35 p.m.
"We've got to do what we do best," Davidson remarked on the upcoming contest. "No matter what the opposition brings, we need to try and bring our game to them."
