ROMEOVILLE, Ill. — Entering Sunday, the Bellarmine University men's soccer team was suffering through its first losing streak of the season.
That suffering didn't last long.
Senior defender
Brandon Shuck and junior midfielder
Beau Laufer both tallied goals as the visiting Knights bounced back from two straight losses to deliver a commanding 2-0 victory Sunday over Lewis in Great Lakes Valley Conference play.
"The guys really needed this win," BU Coach
Tim Chastonay said. "They paid the price for another slow start Friday (in a 2-1 loss at Wisconsin-Parkside). Our start today was a bit slow, but we did find a goal in the first half, which changed the game."
The sturdy performance by Bellarmine (8-5, 6-4 GLVC) included a decisive 18-8 advantage in shots over the Flyers (1-10-1, 1-8-1), including 7-3 in shots on goal. Freshman goalkeeper
Zach Pogue and the Knights' defense notched their sixth shutout of the season, while junior midfielder
Mitchell Wiseman collected an assist.
Bellarmine scored its first goal in the 34th minute. From near midfield, junior defender
Zach Digan blasted a free kick that got dislodged when Shuck and Lewis goalkeeper Justin Salazar collided. Shuck tapped the ball into the net for a 1-0 lead. It was his second goal of the season.
"He finished the ball well," Chastonay said of Shuck's head's up play.
The score stood at 1-0 Bellarmine at halftime, and the Knights padded their lead in the 74th minute. Wiseman made a long pass to Laufer, who collected it and drained a shot from 10 yards out for his team-best sixth goal of the season.
Pogue accumulated three saves, and Bellarmine's defense allowed Lewis only three shots after the intermission.
"We looked very good in the second half and started to get in a better rhythm of play and created a number of good chances," Chastonay said.
Bellarmine will host Quincy and Truman State on Friday and Sunday, respectively, at Owsley B. Frazier Stadium.
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BOX SCORE (HTM)