INDIANA, Pa.—The Bellarmine University field hockey team put the finishing touches on a perfect road trip by pulling out a 2-1 victory over Indiana University of Pennsylvania this afternoon at George P. Miller Stadium. 

The Knights scored both of its goals in the opening 35 minutes with Alex Ginter connecting on her second goal of the season in the 12th minute of the game. The junior took a pass from Kathryn Schneidtmiller and connected on the shot despite a crowded circle.

Carly Anson put the Knights up 2-0 in the 26th minute as she got a pass from Kelsey O'Bryan and reversed it into the cage for her first goal of the season.

One of the most important plays in the first period came with no time remaining on the clock and the Crimson Hawks playing a penalty corner.  Alexis Van Wallaghen rushed the striker, blocked the shot, then collected the loose ball and cleared it to help Bellarmine go into halftime with their two-goal lead intact.

"We possessed the ball really well in the first half," said Bellarmine Coach Mark Blankenbaker.  "We made great passes and finished in the circle."

The Bellarmine coach said the second half was a different story.  "IUP came out strong in the second half and made us play a little chaotic, which resulted in our giving up a goal.  We organized the last five minutes to hold onto the win."

The statistics show how aggressively the host Crimson Hawks played in the second period.  After the Knights outshot IUP in the first 35 minutes, the Crimson Hawks posted 10 shots in the second half, compared to just two for BU.  The home team also was awarded nearly twice the number of penalty corners, holding a 9-5 advantage in that category in the final 35 minutes.

Alexandra Moro worked all 70 minutes in the cage to pick up the victory and collecting four saves on the day. The Bellarmine goalie got a hand from teammate Claire McCormick who picked up a defensive save to help the Knights hang on for the win. 

With the victory, the Knights go 2-0 on their road trip having defeated Seton Hill 5-3 yesterday.  "The greatest part about this entire weekend was the fact that we scored seven goals from seven different players," Blankenbaker said.

The Knights improve to 5-2 overall while the Crimson Hawks slip to a game under .500 at 3-4. 

Bellarmine returns home for an Oct. 3 date with ECAC foe Lindenwood University. Game time is scheduled for 1 p.m.

BOX SCORE (HTM)