JACKSON, Miss.- The Belhaven men's soccer team turned in a historic 2012 season culminating in an NAIA National Championship. The Blazers rode home from Montgomery, Alabama following a 2-0 win over the University of Mobile with the programs second national title and just the third national title of any sport in school history. To make it even more special, this year's championship took place during the 20th anniversary season of the last national championship team which was the 1992 men's soccer team. Belhaven finished the season with a 19-4-1 record thanks to five straight victories in the national tournament.

The Blazers started the season much like they ended it; chalking up one win after another. In fact, Belhaven claimed victory in the first 12 games of the season beginning with a convincing 6-0 triumph over Georgetown College in the season opener on August 24th. Junior forward Will Monsour, who would tie a school record for most goals in a season with 19, led the Blazers against the Tigers with a hat trick. Victor Lawrence added two goals and Loic Miliani chipped in with a score accounting for the other three goals.

The next day, Belhaven emerged with a 4-1 win against Union College to wrap up a near flawless opening weekend. Monsour delivered two more goals and Lawrence picked up his third of the weekend in the three score decision.

Belhaven went on the road the following weekend to Montgomery, Alabama to participate in the Auburn-Montgomery Invitational. Their opponents for the two day event were Savannah College of Art and Design and Tennessee Wesleyan College. The Blazers found themselves in a tight battle against SCAD on Friday, but found a way to prevail 2-1. Monsour led the charge with both Belhaven goals giving him seven through the first three matches of the season.

Belhaven dominated Tennessee Wesleyan the next day and set the tone early with a Victor Lawrence goal in the third minute. Monsour bagged two more goals and Guilherme Sousa and Nasser Charif contributed to the offense with one goal apiece.

The Blazers returned to Jackson for their home opener against Texas College on September 8th and promptly pitched another shutout 4-0. Sousa led the offense with two second half goals to put the match away after the Steers were able to stay close in the first 45 minutes of the match.

Belhaven wrapped up the non-conference portion of the schedule playing two games at the University of Mobile Invitational on September 14th and 15th. The Blazers topped Embry-Riddle University (FL) 3-0 on Friday and then edged the University of Texas-Brownsville 3-2 on Saturday. The wins boosted Belhaven's record to 7-0 heading into the Southern States Athletic Conference opener at Emmanuel on September 20th.

The Blazers kept things rolling right into SSAC play with a 5-0 win over Emmanuel and then dominated Brewton-Parker College 6-1 in the first cross over weekend of the 2012 season. Victor France had two goals in the Emmanuel match and Monsour chalked up two more goals against Brewton-Parker.

The schedule then served up three straight home games for Belhaven beginning with rival Southern Polytechnic State on September 28th. The Blazers topped the 7th ranked Hornets 1-0 on the strength of a stalwart defensive performance and a Lawrence goal in the fourth minute of the match. The Blazers followed that up with a 3-1 decision against Lee University, in which Sousa, Monsour, and David Major all sent shots into the back of the net. Belhaven concluded the three game home stand by shutting out Faulkner 3-0 to go to 12-0 overall and 5-0 in the SSAC.

The Blazers suffered their first setback of the season at Spring Hill College on October 6th 2-1. Belhaven struggled during the final six games of the regular season and into the SSAC Tournament losing four out of the seven matches. The bright spots were a 1-1 tie at Southern Wesleyan and wins over Truett-McConnell and Auburn-Montgomery.

Belhaven didn't appear to be a national title contender after a rough outing in the SSAC Tournament quarterfinals. Southern Poly avenged the loss earlier in the season and pulled away for a 3-0 victory. The Blazers then found themselves on the bubble to make the national tournament, but when the final NAIA MRPI rankings came out Belhaven earned the sixth at large bit into the field of 32 teams.

Being eliminated in the quarterfinals of the SSAC tournament could certainly have been a blessing in disguise for Belhaven. The Blazers were battling a number of injuries and the time off gave the team an opportunity to regroup physically and mentally. Belhaven hosted an NAIA National Championship Opening Round game for the third consecutive season and faced a familiar foe in Tennessee Wesleyan at H.T. Newell Field. The score ended up being a carbon copy of the first matchup and that was a 5-0 Belhaven win. Monsour scored two goals that afternoon, but late in the match suffered an injury that would keep him sidelined for the rest of the tournament.

Despite the loss of Monsour, Belhaven banded together and turned in an unforgettable performance in the final four games of the tournament. The Blazers advanced to the quarterfinals by topping 5th ranked University of Science and Arts (OK) 2-1 on a game winning goal by Giovanni Correa in the 78th minute. It was Correa's first score of the season and couldn't have come at a better time.

In the quarterfinals, Belhaven was paired up with Hannibal-Lagrange and rallied for a 3-2 victory punching the ticket to the semifinals. Lawrence scored two goals and France added the game winner in the 87th minute leading to a collision with top seeded Lindsey Wilson College in the semifinals. The match proved to be a memorable one with Eduardo Cruz's game winning kick occurring with 28 seconds left in the match. The volley found the back of the net from 35 yards out after hitting the left post before bounding into the goal.

That the set the stage for the national championship match, pitting Belhaven against the University of Mobile. Unlike the regular season meeting that proved to be all Mobile in a 3-1 loss, the Blazers owned the afternoon with 2-0 shutout of the Rams for the 2012 NAIA National Championship. Lawrence broke the ice with the game's first goal in the 15th minute followed by an insurance goal off the foot of Tom Cosgrave in the 37th minute. The Belhaven defense put the clamps on the Mobile offense for the rest of the match. Goalie Carl Blundell also made some highlight reel saves to preserve the shutout.

“The first thing I look back on is how well our team chemistry was,” said Head Coach Brian McMahon. “Through the course of the season it continued to improve and our tournament run was a good example of that and how we pulled together as a team. We found a way to win some tight games late in the game and I think the guys and the chemistry on the team is something I'll always remember about this championship season.”

McMahon added that the tough regular season schedule helped get his team ready for the competition they would face in the postseason. “We ended up beating six of the top ten teams in the final NAIA Top 25 Poll. We played 16 teams in the top 25 throughout the course of the season so our guys were definitely battled tested and we saw and were exposed to a lot of very good team through the course of the season. I think that showed when we got to the national tournament.”

Eight Belhaven men's soccer players earned Southern States Athletic Conference honors when the awards were recently announced by the league office. The Blazers had two representatives on the SSAC All-Conference Team in Will Monsour and Tom Cosgrave. Carl Blundell was named Second Team All-Conference. Monsour was a Third Team NAIA All-American while Cosgrave was an NAIA Honorable Mention All-American.

Monsour, a junior forward and a native of Shreveport, LA, led the Blazers in goals (19) and points (43) leading to a Third Team NAIA All American selection. Monsour ranked 14th in total goals and 21st in total points at the national level. Monsour finished the year tied for second in the SSAC in game winning goals (6) and that number was 6th best in the NAIA.

Cosgrave, a senior defender from Manchester, England, was an NAIA Honorable Mention selection and helped guide the Blazers to 11 shutouts this season, including three in the national tournament. Cosgrave also contributed offensively with four goals during the 2012 campaign. Cosgrave notched one of those goals in Belhaven's 2-0 win over the University of Mobile in the NAIA National Championship game.

Junior goalkeeper Carl Blundell landed on the SSAC All-Conference Second Team for his solid work in the net this year. Blundell, who hails from York, England, posted a 17-4-1 record with 75 saves and only 20 goals against. Blundell was fifth in the SSAC in total saves and second in goals against per game average (0.94). That number ranks Blundell 17th in the nation in the goals against category.

Another key contributor for Belhaven this season was senior forward Loic Miliani. Miliani, a native of Kingersheim, France, set a single season school record for most assists with a team high 12 this year. Miliani also chipped in six goals and finished the year with 24 points.

Lawrence, a sophomore mid-fielder from Caracas, Venezuela, also notched 24 points thanks to 11 goals and two assists during the 2012 championship run. Lawrence posted four of his goals during the national tournament and was instrumental in the offense.

Junior forward Eduardo Cruz, who hails from Sao Paulo, Brazil, started 23 matches and scored 18 points on the strength of six goals and six assists. Guilherme Sousa, a senior midfielder from Monte Santo de Minas, Brazil, accumulated 16 points scoring six goals while assisting on four others. Rounding out the offensive leaders is sophomore midfielder Victor France from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. France blasted five goals, chipped in two assists, and ended the year with 12 points.

Belhaven's SSAC All-Academic team members were Blundell, senior midfielder Giovanni Correa, junior forward Eduardo Cruz, junior midfielder Johnny Saye, senior midfielder Guilherme Sousa, and freshman defender Rodrigo Suarez.

Belhaven will now spend the offseason reloading and preparing for a title defense in 2013.