Men's Soccer Welcomes 2024 Signing Class to the Music City - Belmont University (2024)

Bruins Feature Seven Newcomers for Fall Campaign

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Sixth-year head coach David Costa announced the Belmont University men's soccer program's newest additions Friday morning with the Bruins welcoming seven newcomers for 2024. Emmanuel Aranda, Lashawn Brown, Brad Dildy, Oscar Hough, Miles Kipley, Griffin Moore and Caleb Robertson join Belmont for its approaching fall campaign and add further quality to the Bruins' already talented roster.

Belmont's latest signing class features four transfers and a trio of freshmen, including five midfielders, a defender and a goalkeeper.

"Our staff is very pleased with the way this signing class came together," commented coach Costa. "It addresses every need we had for the team following the spring and is one of the more complete classes we've had in recent years. We expect this group to move us closer to our goal of winning the Missouri Valley Conference."

Emmanuel Aranda | Freshman | Midfielder | Austin, Texas | Vandegrift HS | Lonestar Soccer Club ECNL
A Texas native, Aranda is one of three Bruin freshmen and arrives in Tennessee following a decorated varsity career. Starring at Vandegrift High School, Aranda led the Vipers to a pair of district and area championships, a regional championship and a state semifinal appearance. A first-team all-state selection, Aranda was tabbed both overall and offensive district MVP and landed a spot on the state tournament all-XI team. Aranda was also a four-time first-team all-district performer after being named newcomer of the year and collected academic all-state honors. Playing for Lonestar SC of the Elite Clubs National League (ECNL), Aranda was a two-time ECNL All-Star and twice earned second-team all-conference recognition. He plans on studying public health at Belmont.

Lashawn Brown | Junior | Midfielder | West Palm Beach, Florida | Furman | Lake Worth HS | Columbus Crew Academy
Following two seasons at Southern Conference member Furman University in South Carolina, Brown comes to the Music City as a junior. The midfielder started 24 of 33 matches over the last two seasons for the Paladins, averaging 55.7 minutes on the pitch. Registering six shots on goal, Brown earned his first collegiate assist last fall in a 2-1 win over Gardner-Webb. As a sophom*ore in 2023, Brown started 14 of the 16 matches he played in and tallied 14 total shots. A native of Kingston, Jamaica, Brown was a member of one of the top MLS NEXT programs, competing for Columbus Crew Academy. He was tied as the leading scorer at the Generation adidas Cup U17 where he led his team to the semifinals as a sophom*ore. After compiling seven goals and five assists during his sophom*ore season, Brown accounted for eight assists and five goals as a junior. Brown played at Lake Worth High School in Florida and is the first MLS Academy player to participate in Major League Soccer's committees for change. Lashawn will be majoring in politics and public law.

Brad Dildy | Junior | Midfielder | San Antonio, Texas | Charlotte | Smithson Valley HS | San Antonio FC Academy
Joining the Bruins this past January, Dildy spent the last two seasons at American Athletic Conference member The University of North Carolina at Charlotte. During his time in Charlotte, Dildy was a part of 22 match wins and a second round appearance in the 2023 NCAA Men's Soccer Championship. An AAC All-Freshman Team selection in 2022, Dildy co-led the 49ers in assists with seven on the year. He also scored a goal at UCF and started five of 15 matches played as a true freshman. His sophom*ore season, Dildy tallied a trio of assists and scored in a win over Davidson while seeing action in all 18 matches and making a pair of starts. Averaging 44.6 minutes per match across his first two collegiate seasons, Dildy helped Charlotte win the 2023 AAC Championship before playing significant minutes in the 49ers' NCAA Championship run. A Top Drawer Soccer Top 150 recruit in the 2022 class, Dildy was a standout at Smithson Valley High School outside of Sant Antonio where he led the Rangers to a Class 6A-District 27 title his senior year. The 2022 San Antonio Express News Player of the Year, Dildy was named District 27-6A MVP and earned the district's Golden Boot award. A Texas Association of Soccer Coaches (TASCO) AAAAAA All-State performer, Dildy was chosen as the Texas All-Star game MVP. Leading all of San Antonio with 47 goals and 11 assists, Dildy was placed on the San Antonio Super Team. Awarded an academy contract with San Antonio FC at the age of 17, Dildy was featured in two matches against Liga MX opponents and recorded an assist. Majoring in finance, Dildy garnered academic all-state and academic all-district honors in high school.

Oscar Hough | Junior | Midfielder | Wellington, New Zealand | UCF | Wellington College | Western Suburbs FC
Like Brown and Dildy, Hough arrives at Belmont as a junior following two seasons at Sun Belt Conference member UCF. Seeing action in 13 matches over the last two years, Hough made six starts as a true freshman for the Knights averaging 48 minutes per match. He logged an assist in a win over UC Irvine and totaled six shots. A native of Wellington, New Zealand, Hough was a member of the U20 New Zealand National Team training squad alongside senior Bruin defender Alex Clayton. Also teaming up with Clayton on Western Suburbs FC, Hough helped lead the club to a Central League championship in 2019 and a semifinal appearance in the 2021 Chatham Cup. An Olé Football Academy product, Hough was named U20 Player of the Year in 2020. In May, Hough joined Auckland United FC and recently made his premier men's team debut in the second round of the Chatham Cup. Hough will be majoring in business systems and analytics.

Miles Kipley | Freshman | Goalkeeper | Franklin, Tennessee | Independence HS | Tennessee Soccer Club ECNL
A local product, Kipley hails from nearby Franklin and played for both Independence High School and Tennessee Soccer Club of the ECNL. One of the top goalkeepers in the area, Kipley notched 12 shutouts in 17 matches his senior year. Earning District 10-AAA Goalkeeper of the Year honors this spring, Kipley nearly averaged 1.5 stops per outing with 24 saves on the season. In club soccer, Kipley was named to the ECNL National Selection Game in South Carolina where he represented the ECNL Boys West Team. Kipley currently plays alongside soon-to-be Belmont teammates Riley Clothier, AJ Elliott, Esteban Leiva, Connor MacLean and Dylan Steely on Tennessee Soccer Club's USL League Two team. Kipley's father is the founder of Bolta Soccer in Nashville. Miles intends to study business administration.

Griffin Moore | Sophom*ore | Defender | Eagle, Colorado | Kentucky | Cherry Creek HS | Colorado Rapids Academy
Spending his freshman year at the University of Kentucky, Moore aided the Wildcats to the second round of the NCAA Championship last fall. Playing in five matches, Moore logged nearly 100 minutes on the pitch in his opening collegiate season. An academy player for the Colorado Rapids since his U13 year, Moore worked his way through the organization's pathway. He ultimately earned a spot on the organization's MLS NEXT Pro team, Rapids 2, during the inaugural 2022 season before enrolling early at Kentucky in January of 2023. A native of Eagle, Colorado, Moore graduated from Cherry Creek High School in Denver. Moore will be majoring in finance.

Caleb Robertson | Freshman | Center Midfielder | Dacula, Georgia | Dacula HS | Concorde Fire Soccer Club ECNL
Arriving in Nashville from Dacula, Georgia, Robertson had an outstanding prep career at Dacula High School and starred for Concorde Fire SC of the ECNL. A two-time first-team all-region performer, Robertson collected All-Region 8-6A Second Team honors as both a freshman and sophom*ore. He was a three-time first-team all-county pick and led his club team to the ECNL National Playoffs. Named to the 2022-23 ECNL Boys Southeast All-Conference U17 First Team, Robertson was tabbed 2020-21 ECNL Southeast U15 Player of the Year and earned a spot on the ECNL All-America Team. The center mid was also featured in the Gwinnett Daily Post's '2024 Super Six Boys Soccer'. Robertson plans on majoring in sports medicine.

The Bruins will report for preseason training later this summer with Belmont's opening exhibition match taking place on Aug. 10. The complete fall schedule will be unveiled in late June.

Going 8-7-3 last year, the Bruins have posted a winning record and won at least seven matches for four consecutive seasons.

Follow Belmont men's soccer on social media – @BelmontMSocceron X, formerly Twitter, @belmontmsocceron Instagram and Belmont University Men's Soccer on Facebook – for complete coverage of the Bruins. Stay up to date with all of Belmont's athletic programs via theofficial app of the Belmont Bruins, available both in the Apple App Store and on Google Play.

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