LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Late in Friday's match with Drury, Katie Fernandez entered for the 15th-ranked Bellarmine University women's soccer team with fresh legs in the sweltering heat.

It didn't take long for the sophomore forward to make something happen as her push forward in the box was interrupted by a foul, resulting in a penalty kick in the 85th minute that junior forward Mary Beth Gorham buried in a 1-0 victory over the Panthers in Great Lakes Valley Conference action at Owsley B. Frazier Stadium.

By winning the match of unbeaten teams, Bellarmine (6-0, 3-0 GLVC) continued to build on its best start in program history. The Knights recorded their fifth shutout in six matches as they limited Drury (2-1-2, 1-1-1) to only one shot on goal and eight overall.

"I can't say enough about our organization and defending," BU Coach Chris Tinius said. "If you would have told me in August that we'd have five shutouts and no goals in the flow of play (the one goal BU has allowed came off a set piece) at this point in the season, I would have told you that you were crazy.  It was a team defensive effort, but for (senior) Jordan (Major) and (junior) Lexy (Hazle) to put in 90 minutes again was impressive."

The Major-Hazle led defense didn't allow Drury any promising looks from a threatening distance, as sophomore goalkeeper Taylor Smith notched her first victory at BU. Bellarmine didn't have a significant amount either, but the Knights made one of them count.

With a little over five minutes left in regulation, Fernandez had possession of the ball near the right end line. As she attacked left, she was tripped by a Drury defender. A foul was called and Gorham stepped up and sank her sixth goal of the season along with the 29th of her career.

"We found another new way to win today," Tinius said. "Drury is a good team, and I think the win is going to keep looking better as the year goes on."

Bellarmine racked up 16 shots, including seven on frame. Before firing off multiple near-misses late, the Knights' offense was largely held in check.

"I thought this was the first time some frustration from some of our attacking players caused their effort to drop," Tinius said. "I also think we have to start paying a lot more attention to detail in scouting reports. Part of that is on the players to focus and execute what we're trying to do, but a good chunk of it falls on me to present it in a better way that gets through to them. We'll all keep working and trying to be more precise with everything."

All in all, though, Tinius was pleased with his resourceful bunch for a key GLVC victory.

"You certainly can't fault their ability to adapt and find different ways to win games," he said.

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