LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Bellarmine University men's soccer team's three-game winning streak has showcased many positive aspects of the Knights, perhaps none more distinct than the passing ability of
Mike Albes.
For the third consecutive match, the sophomore defender notched an assist on the game-winning goal, this time feeding junior midfielder
Beau Laufer for the decisive score in the second half in a 2-1 victory Sunday over Missouri S&T at Owsley B. Frazier Stadium.
Sophomore midfielder
Callum Southern also deposited a goal for Bellarmine (5-2, 3-1 GLVC), which rallied after facing a 1-0 deficit against the Miners (2-4, 2-2). The Knights dropped their conference opener but bounced back to rattle off three consecutive wins.
After neither team scored in the first half, Missouri S&T's Felipe Andrade received a pass from Maxi Fuchs in the left side of the box and made a few shifty moves to free himself up for a shot inside the far post for a 1-0 lead in the 49th minute.
Bellarmine had a quick response. In the 56th minute, the Knights were fouled just outside the goal box. From the right side, Southern curled a free kick around a barricade of defenders and tucked it inside the far post for the equalizer. It was Southern's second goal of the season.
"It took their goal to make us play with a sense of urgency," BU Coach
Tim Chastonay said. "Callum has been working on his set pieces, so it was great to see him rewarded with a great strike. His goal really lifted our team."
Albes helped put the Knights over the top. He recorded the assist two matches ago on Laufer's game-winning goal against Illinois Springfield, and he provided the helper on sophomore forward
Joe Workman's game-winner against Drury on Friday. In the 63rd minute on Sunday, Albes lofted a cross from the left wing to a charging Laufer, who rammed the ball into the net with his head for a 2-1 lead on his third goal of the season.
"The game-winner from Beau was another good build-up and service from
Mike Albes," Chastonay said. "Beau made a great run and finished it well."
Missouri S&T never let Bellarmine rest easy. The Miners attempted four shots inside the last three minutes, with BU freshman goalkeeper
Zach Pogue making a spectacular save on one of the attempts. Pogue tallied six saves and moved to 5-1.
Missouri S&T amassed 14 shots to 13 for Bellarmine. The Miners tallied seven shots on goal, while the Knights collected six shots on frame.
Bellarmine plays Friday at William Jewell and Sunday at Rockhurst.
"We started very slow today and looked a bit tired from Friday," Chastonay said. "I thought we got great minutes from the guys off the bench. We really need a good week of practice this week to get ready for a tough road trip to Kansas City."
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