LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Only nine days prior, the Bellarmine University men's soccer team required at least a draw with Stetson in its regular-season finale in Owsley B. Frazier Stadium to even gain entrance to the ASUN Tournament.

Not only did the Knights accomplish the minimum on Oct. 28, their 3-2 win swung them all the way from potentially seventh place and out of the six-team tournament to the two-seed and a bye into the semifinals.

Fast forward nine days. On the same field against the same opponent, Bellarmine somehow upped the ante when it came to the drama, once again triumphing 3-2 over the third-seeded Hatters, on this occasion in double overtime after facing a two-goal deficit.

"I'm so proud of the group for not panicking and sticking to the plan," Knights Coach Tim Chastonay said.

It was a watershed victory for Bellarmine (6-4-6), which advanced to the ASUN Tournament finals for the first time in program history. The Knights, who will play for the title at top-seeded Lipscomb at 8 p.m. (ET) Saturday, also appeared in the conference semifinals in their first three years in Division I and the ASUN, but each time that's where the run ended.

The breakthrough came Monday night against Stetson (7-7-4). Junior midfielder Brendan Schoemehl capped Bellarmine's rally in regulation time from a 2-0 deficit with the equalizer in the 84th minute, and the first-team All-ASUN selection buried a penalty kick about midway through the second overtime for the game-winner.

Although the final score was the same, this win was vastly different than Bellarmine's victory over Stetson in the regular-season finale. In that contest, the Knights scored twice in the first half and added another goal in the first minute of the second stanza to take a 3-0 lead, but Stetson regrouped and cut the deficit to one before BU held off the Hatters.

In the postseason, it was Bellarmine that had to climb out of a hole against Stetson. Afonso Conde found the net less than four minutes into the match on a hard strike from 10 yards, and Alvaro Gabancho staked the Hatters to a 2-0 lead after scoring on a header off a corner kick in the 29th minute.

Crucially, Bellarmine cut the deficit in half just ahead of the break. In the 41st minute, ASUN Defensive Player of the Year Brock Pope found freshman forward Alex Halevy at the 6 with a service. The reigning ASUN Player of the Week gathered the pass and rifled in a shot for this third goal in two games against Stetson.

"It was disappointing to start slow and concede early. The second goal by Stetson in the first half created real problems for our team," Chastonay said. "The Alex Halevy goal late in the first half was a big turning point for us. Going into half only down a goal gave us life."

The score remained 2-1 until the 84th minute. From near the right sideline, Pope made a diagonal cross to Schoemehl in the box. Bellarmine's leading scorer unloaded a one-touch from 14 yards, whizzing a low shot inside the far post to equalize the contest. It was Pope's second assist and team-best eighth overall of the season.

Neither team scored in the first overtime. In the second extra session, Stetson was called for a foul in the box in the 106th minute. Schoemehl drilled the ensuing PK for the brace, bumping his season total to six goals.

"Brendan Schoemehl and Brock Pope showed tonight why they were first-team All-Conference players," Chastonay said.

Bellarmine didn't allow Stetson another shot, doing an effective job of bleeding the clock out. The Hatters had a 19-14 advantage in shots for the game, but the Knights had a 7-6 edge on frame. BU overcame a 14-3 deficit in corner kicks as well.

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