Hall of Fame
Former Belhaven Men's Soccer Head Coach Brian McMahon is set to be inducted into the Belhaven Athletics Hall of Fame this October alongside inductees from the Class of 2022. McMahon coached the Blazers from 2012-2013 and in that time, helped to produce one of the most successful team in Belhaven Athletics history with his 2012 team winning the NAIA National Championship. Coach McMahon's 2012 squad became the second Men's Soccer team to achieve the impressive feat joining the 1992 team and just the third team to claim a national championship across all Blazers' sports.
McMahon holds the 4th best winning percentage among Belhaven Men's Soccer Coaches (.750) after amassing 35 wins across 48 matches at the helm of the Belhaven program. McMahon's team still sits in the Top 5 among single season goals with 70 and inside the Top 10 for goals per game during their 2012 campaign with 2.92. The 2012 Blazers' boasted a strong attack that was complimented by a stingy defense that put together 11 shutouts in 24 matches which is still the top mark for shutouts in a single season.
2012 NAIA National Championship
The highlight of McMahon's tenure with the Blazers though is most certainly the 2012 NAIA National Championship run which remains the most recent national championship for Belhaven Athletics. The 21st ranked Blazers' tournament run began in the opening round with a 5-0 win over #23 Tennessee Wesleyan and was followed by a 2-1 win over #4 ranked University of Science and Arts (Okla.) in the second round. Belhaven then faced #17 Hannibal-LaGrange (Mo.) and secured a 3-2 victory that pushed the Blazers to the semi-final.
In the sem-final the Blazers squared off against the top ranked team in the country and 2011 NAIA National Champions Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) Belhaven ended the title defense for Lindsey Wilson with a 1-0 victory that saw Eduardo Cruz seal a berth to the NAIA Championship game with a winning goal with 28 seconds to play.
The Blazers secured the national title with a 2-0 win over the University of Mobile (Ala.) who were ranked 7th at the start of the tournament and cemented their spot in Belhaven history. For his leadership in the National Championship run, McMahon was named the NAIA Men's Soccer Coach of the Year.
