Hall of Fame
The 2012 Men's Soccer team is one of two teams that will be inducted into the Belhaven Athletics Hall of Fame this October alongside inductees from the Class of 2022. The 2012 team, led by Brian McMahon, went down as one of the most successful teams in Belhaven Athletics history by winning the NAIA National Championship. McMahon's squad became the second Men's Soccer team to achieve the impressive feat, joining the 1992 team. They are just the third team to claim a national championship across all Blazers' sports.
The 2012 Blazers were elite on both sides of the pitch. The team put together 11 clean sheets in 24 matches, which still stands as the top mark for shutouts in a single season. The squad won 19 games during the 2012 campaign, the most wins since the 1994 season. Will Monsour's 19 goals that season still sits at the top of the Blazers' record book.
2012 NAIA National Championship
The Blazers entered the tournament ranked at #21. The championship run began in the opening round with a dominant 5-0 win over #23 Tennessee Wesleyan. Belhaven followed that up with a 2-1 win over #4 University of Science and Arts (Okla.) in the second round. Belhaven then faced #17 Hannibal-LaGrange (Mo.) and secured a 3-2 victory that propelled the Blazers to the semi-final match.
In the semi-final, the Blazers squared off against the top-ranked team in the country and defending national champion Lindsey Wilson. With the game scoreless, Eduardo Cruz sealed a berth in the NAIA Championship game with a game-winning goal with just 28 seconds to play.
The Blazers secured the national title with a 2-0 win over the University of Mobile and cemented their spot in Belhaven history.
McMahon was named the NAIA Men's Soccer Coach of the Year, Will Monsour a NAIA Third-Team All American, and Tom Cosgrave a NAIA Honorable Mention. Cosgrave and Monsour were also named SSAC All-Conference, along with Carl Blundell. McMahon deservedly earned SSAC Coach of the Year honors.
