Men's Soccer

MVC Men's Soccer Weekly Notebook (Oct. 6)

Player of the Week: Paul Claes Nielsen, Belmont
Defensive Player of the Week: Aidan Flanders, Bowling Green
Goalkeeper of the Week: Jason Ball, Bowling Green

Sophomore midfielder Paul Claes Nielsen delivered the game-winning performance for Belmont in a historic 2-1 victory at Drake on Saturday. Nielsen scored the decisive goal in the 88th minute, giving the Bruins their first-ever win over the Bulldogs in Des Moines. The goal was Nielsen’s fourth of the season, tying him for the team lead in goals. Nielsen played 84 minutes and finished the match with two shots, including one on target.

Freshman defender Aidan Flanders made an impact at both ends of the field as Bowling Green picked up a pair of road victories. Flanders played all 90 minutes in both matches, recording an assist in Tuesday’s 2-1 win at Northern Kentucky before scoring his first collegiate goal four days later in another 2-1 victory at Bradley. Flanders has started 10 of Bowling Green’s 11 matches this season, with his only missed start coming due to injury.

Senior goalkeeper Jason Ball helped Bowling Green secure a pair of road victories, making 12 saves while allowing just two goals across 180 minutes. Ball made three saves in the Falcons’ 2-1 win at Northern Kentucky before tying his career high with nine saves in Saturday’s 2-1 victory at Bradley. His performance against Bradley included a diving save on a second-half penalty kick, marking his second penalty-kick save of the season. Ball enters the week with a 0.75 goals-against average on the season and has stopped both opponent penalty kicks he has faced.

Conference News & Notes
  • Last week’s non-conference action featured a win and three draws, while four teams remain unbeaten in league play. 
  • Bowling Green jumped back into the win column, picking up a pair of 2-1 victories last week on the road. The Falcons’ Jason Ball tallied 12 total saves, including a career-high nine stops against Bradley. 
  • UIC earned a pair of 1-1 draws last week against No. 13 Notre Dame and Western Michigan. The Flames’ result against the Irish marks the highest-ranked opponent UIC has tied or defeated since 2014. 
  • UIC is joined by Western Michigan atop The Valley standings with four points apiece after their draw on Saturday. Both programs are unbeaten in their last three contests, each going 1-0-2 during that stretch. 
  • Western Michigan’s Braden Stevanovic made his first goal of the season count, scoring against UIC to help the Broncos remain unbeaten in league play. The junior’s goal was just the second of his career and first against a Division I opponent.
  • Belmont opened MVC play with a 2-1 victory at Drake on Saturday, marking the program’s first win against the Bulldogs in Des Moines. Sophomore Paul Claes Nielsen provided the game winner with three minutes remaining in the match, as the Bruins are winners of three of their last four matches.
  • Evansville will be playing its fifth opponent ranked in the Top 25, or receiving votes, on Tuesday night, taking on the 25th-ranked Xavier Musketeers, who currently check in at No. 13 in the latest RPI. 
  • Drake opened its week with a 1-1 draw against Saint Louis, who advanced to the NCAA College Cup semifinals in 2025. Evan Carlson notched his team-leading fourth goal of the season, surpassing his previous career high.
  • Western Michigan’s Alex Lindewirth leads the MVC and ranks inside the top 10 nationally with 48 total saves on the year, averaging 4.80 stops per match.