Box Score JACKSON, Miss. – The Belhaven men's soccer team turned in another impressive Southern States Athletic Conference victory Saturday night at H.T. Newell Field, topping Southern Wesleyan University 6-0. The Blazers, ranked 6th in the latest NAIA Top 25 Coaches' Poll, have now won five straight matches and have outscored opponents 23-2 during that stretch.
Belhaven (6-2-1, 2-0 SSAC) went on the attack from the opening kickoff and eventually the pressure was too much for the Southern Wesleyan (3-3-1, 0-2 SSAC) defense.
Nasser Charif broke the scoreless tie in the 19th minute by slipping through a pack of defenders to get in position for a shot at the goal.
Will Monsour worked the ball up the left side and crossed it over to Charif, who made his shot count for a 1-0 Blazers lead and his fourth goal of the season.
Belhaven didn't have to wait long for the second goal of the night thanks to
David Major's third goal of the year in the 20th minute.
Eduardo Cruz provided the assist with a textbook corner kick that found Major in front of the net.
Leading 2-0, the momentum continued to build from there with two more goals before halftime. Cruz was fouled in the box and awarded a penalty kick that he promptly tucked into the side of the net for his third goal of the 2013 campaign.
Craig McCabe capped off the first period in the 45th minute for the Blazers with his first score of the year. Rodriguez came out of the box to contest the ball and left an open net for McCabe. With Rodriguez bearing down on him, Lucas Befi tapped the ball to McCabe in stride for the clear shot that led to the goal. It was the first of two assists for Befi in the match.
Belhaven took a commanding 4-0 advantage into the break and picked up two more goals before the final horn sounded. Befi found the back of the net in the 77th minute and then assisted
Victor France on his score in minute 89. Befi was the beneficiary of an assist from France as the two combined to produce both second half goals. On the night, six different Blazers found the back of the net showcasing the depth of the club.
"Coming into the game we knew Southern Wesleyan was a fantastic team," said Belhaven Head Coach Brian McMahon. "We have a lot of respect for them so to come away with a victory tonight was big for us. Several different players have been able to score over the last few games and it's a credit to the unselfishness of the team."
Belhaven played the game primarily on Southern Wesleyan's side of the field as evidenced by a 35-8 shot advantage. The Blazers maintained a 9-1 edge in corner kicks on the night.
Although he didn't score, Monsour led all players with eight shots including four on goal. Goalie
Carl Blundell made four saves and earned the shutout in net.
Alejandro Sanchez, Douglas Andrade, and Joao Oliveira each attempted two shots for Southern Wesleyan. Rodriguez made 12 saves in goal, but suffered the loss allowing all six Blazer goals in 90 minutes.
Belhaven will return to action on Thursday when the team heads to Southern Polytechnic State University for an SSAC match at 4:00 PM.