LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Four straight matches away from Owsley B. Frazier Stadium to start the regular season has given way to three consecutive games at home for the Bellarmine University men's soccer team.
The Knights hope the latter two on their turf in Great Lakes Valley Conference play turn out just like the first one did.
Bellarmine (3-2, 1-1 GLVC) will welcome Drury (1-3, 1-1) at 6:30 p.m. (ET) Friday before hosting Missouri S&T (1-3, 1-1) at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday. Both the Panthers and Miners advanced to the GLVC Tournament last season, with Drury earning the No. 2 seed followed by a berth in the Division II NCAA Tournament.
After going 2-1 in nonconference play, Bellarmine dropped its GLVC opener 1-0 at McKendree despite a plus-seven advantage in shots before regrouping for a 2-1 victory over Illinois Springfield in its conference home debut.
"I thought we played well on Friday against McKendree for long stretches of the game. Unfortunately, we came home with a loss," BU Coach
Tim Chastonay said. "The guys responded well and were able to get a win on Sunday against UIS. We looked tired on Sunday at times, but players fought through and got a result. It was a solid effort all around."
Bellarmine will need a similar effort this weekend. Drury, which advanced to the NCAA regional semifinals last season, began GLVC play with a 2-0 win over William Jewell before dropping a 1-0 decision to Rockhurst. Four different players have accounted for the Panthers' four goals this season.
"Drury is always one of the top teams in the league, and they play very attractive soccer," Chastonay said. "They move the ball around and possess it very well. They are patient with the ball, and we will have to be very solid defensively."
Missouri S&T had the same fortune as Drury in the opening weekend of conference play. The Miners were edged 1-0 by Rockhurst but captured a 3-1 victory over William Jewell. Felipe Andrade has accumulated three goals for S&T while Austin Parks has added two.
"Missouri S&T is a very well-organized team, and they are tough to penetrate," Chastonay said. "They are good on both sides of the ball, and they make it very tough for their opponent."
Bellarmine got off 18 shots against McKendree but was unable to locate the net. The Knights did twice, though, against Illinois Springfield as sophomore midfielder
Callum Southern and junior midfielder
Beau Laufer both scored off feeds from sophomore forward
Nathan Jones and sophomore defender
Mike Albes, respectively.
"We definitely improved a bit this past weekend with our play in the attacking half," Chastonay said. "Our possession in that part of the field has been better, and we are starting to create chances. Our guys just need to continue to work hard, and hopefully we can find a few more goals. I would like to see their efforts rewarded."
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Drury (1-3, 1-1 GLVC) at Bellarmine (3-2, 1-1 GLVC)Date: Friday, September 18
Time: 6:30 p.m. (ET)
Venue: Owsley B. Frazier Stadium
VideoLive StatsMissouri S&T at BellarmineDate: Sunday, September 20
Time: 2:30 p.m. (ET)
Venue: Owsley B. Frazier Stadium
VideoLive Stats
