LEBANON, Ill. — The visiting Bellarmine University women's soccer team was defeated 1-0 by McKendree on Sunday in the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament quarterfinals.

The Knights dropped to 11-3-4. They may be in the discussion for a DII NCAA Tournament berth but going 1-2-2 over the last five matches has severely hindered their chances. For the second Sunday in a row, McKendree (15-4) blanked them 1-0.

"There are a lot of lessons to take from today and the entire season, but this isn't really the time for that," Bellarmine Coach Chris Tinius said. "The big thing right now is to be thankful for another good season that most teams across the country would be happy to trade places with. And we need to appreciate a senior class that is going to be hard to match moving forward as far as both individual and team success.

"The lessons are to be learned all the way around. I'm sorry I couldn't help the team get out of this funk. As I've said, we have a great group of kids, and I didn't necessarily give them everything they needed to get it done."

McKendree had the upper hand statistically. The Bearcats had a 15-7 advantage in shots, including 7-2 on goal. Bellarmine senior goalkeeper Hannah Poteet had a diving save and then a leaping save to bat away a would-be goal in the first half. She finished with six saves.

"Hannah Poteet was phenomenal in keeping us in the game," Tinius said. "It was unfortunate that we couldn't get Lo (Lauren Holder) back out there (after she went down with a possible injury late in the second half), but I felt at that time we couldn't really afford to be down a player while we figured out if she could go back in."

Bellarmine's defense has been vulnerable on set pieces but, ironically, it was a Knights set piece that preceded McKendree's goal. Sydnee Carroll burst down the right side in transition following a Bellarmine corner kick, beat the defense and slotted the ball into the net past a charging Poteet for her GLVC-leading 16th goal of the season.

"Tip your cap to McKendree," Tinius said. "Twice in eight days they made it an absolute battle. We couldn't pull them apart, and they won a lot of balls. Sydney Carroll showed the grit and determination that will likely make her the (Offensive) Player of the Year in the league."

Bellarmine's offense had been steady — and at times potent — for the vast majority of the season and could generally be counted on to produce at least one goal in a match. However, the Knights were shut out over their last three outings, including twice by the Bearcats.

"I want to thank all of our support staff across campus for taking care of our players and helping them grow as people," Tinius said. "What you see on the field is a snapshot of who they are and we have a wonderful group in so many ways. I also want to thank all the parents and fans that have been so supportive again this fall."

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