LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Bellarmine University men's soccer team put together a rock-solid first half of Great Lakes Valley Conference play, earning its way into the ranks of conference contenders.
Knights Coach
Tim Chastonay has no trouble pointing out why his squad will need to duplicate that effort — and perhaps take it to another level — as BU enters the second phase of its conference slate.
"We were 1-4-2 against our seven remaining opponents in 2014," Chastonay noted, "so we know the job will be hard."
That job for the Knights (7-4, 5-3 GLVC) starts with a match at Wisconsin-Parkside (3-6-1, 3-4-1) at 4:30 p.m. (ET) on Friday and continues with a contest at Lewis (1-8-1, 1-6-1) at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday.
Wisconsin-Parkside is on a three-game losing streak, but each setback was a one-goal game. The Rangers fell 4-3 to Illinois Springfield and 2-1 to McKendree last weekend, both in overtime. In fact, Parkside's last four contests have all required extra sessions. Evan Garcia and Ryan Shogren have tallied four goals apiece for the Rangers.
"Parkside looks very solid this season," Chastonay said. "They went out and played a very good nonconference schedule, which prepared them well for the GLVC. They have always played very good, attractive soccer at Parkside and look to be in the mix for a postseason berth this season. We lost 2-1 last season to Parkside on a goal in the final minute. I'm expecting another good game this year."
Lewis may only have one victory, but it came in its most recent match against a quality opponent. The Flyers pulled out a 1-0 win over McKendree, which defeated Bellarmine by that same score to open GLVC play.
"Lewis has a long history of success," Chastonay said. "They typically defend so well and have dangerous attacking players. They have started a bit slow this year, but Evan (Fiffles) is one of the best coaches, and I'm sure his team will continue to improve each week. We lost 1-0 in the final minutes to Lewis last season and expect another very good game."
Bellarmine had mixed results last weekend. The Knights dominated a 3-0 win over Saint Joseph's before a shaky first half helped lead to a 1-0 loss to Indianapolis.
"We played good soccer at times this past weekend against two very good teams," Chastonay said. "We created some nice goals on Friday night in tough playing conditions. Our group was very good defensively on Friday night as well. Unfortunately, we did not start well on Sunday and this cost us a first-half goal. We had to chase the game and did put together a solid second half. This team needs to be a bit more consistent with both games on the weekends."
Bellarmine is tied for third place with Indianapolis in the GLVC standings. Quincy and Rockhurst are both 6-1-1 and deadlocked in first.
"From where we started early in the season with injuries, I'm pleased with how we have played to this point," Chastonay said. "The guys have trained hard all year, and we are just trying to compete day in and day out. Our last seven games will obviously play a big part in our season and our ability to reach some goals we set in preseason."
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Bellarmine (7-4, 5-3 GLVC) at Wisconsin-Parkside (3-6-1, 3-4-1 GLVC)Date: Friday, October 9
Time: 4:30 p.m. (ET)
Venue: Wood Road Soccer Field
VideoLive Stats Bellarmine at LewisDate: Sunday, October 11
Time: 3:30 p.m. (ET)
Venue: Lewis Stadium
VideoLive Stats
