BELLEVUE, Neb. -- Ben Martin made eight saves while Rob Smith and Finlay Bloodworth both scored goals to help the Bellevue University men's soccer team to a 2-0 win over Waldorf University on Saturday to claim the outright North Star Athletic Association Regular-Season Championship.
Bellevue improves to 10-6-2 with the win and wraps up NSAA play a perfect 4-0-0. Waldorf falls to 11-5-0 (2-1-1 NSAA) on the year.
The physical affair produced plenty of dangerous chances in the opening half but neither side was able to break the ice and the two teams headed into halftime scoreless.
It didn't take long out of the break before the hosts got on the board. Following a foul just off the touch line, Scott Robson sent in a perfectly placed free kick that Finlay Bloodworth headed down underneath the keeper's arm. It was Bloodworth's fourth goal of the season and Robson's team-best 11 assist.
Smith found an insurance goal for the Bruins in the game's 73rd minute. He worked a beautiful give-and-go with Edgar Guzman before volleying Guzman's ball out of the air past a helpless keeper. The goal gives Smith 15 for the year as he moves within two of the single-season record, set in 2008, held by current Bruin head coach Mark Heath-Preston. Guzman is now up to five assists this season.
The clean sheet was Martin's third of the season and he lowered he goals against average to 1.82 and upped his save percentage to .696 for the year.
Humberto Figueroa made just one save for the Warriors who out-shot Bellevue 21-9 on the afternoon.
The regular-season title is Bellevue's 10th overall following last year's and eight (1997, 2001, 2002, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2014) in the now-defunct MCAC.
The win marks the third year in a row the Bruins have recorded at least 10 victories.
Before the game, five Bruin seniors – Ben Martin, Corey Smith, JT Cronin, Daniel Coupland, and David Goolsby – were recognized for the contributions they've made to the program in their time at Bellevue as part of the Senior Day ceremonies.
Bellevue hosts the winner of fourth-seeded Viterbo and fifth-seeded Presentation in the semi-final round of the NSAA Tournament. The semi-final match will be played on Friday, Nov. 4 with a time and site to be confirmed in the near future.
