LOUISVILLE, Ky. — There was no extra session in this one. The No. 25 Bellarmine University women's soccer team made certain of that.

The Knights netted a pair of goals in each half, scoring three unanswered along the way, in a 4-1 romp over Wisconsin-Parkside on Sunday afternoon at Owsley B. Frazier Stadium in Great Lakes Valley Conference play.

Sophomore midfielder/forward Audrey Van Der Elst scored twice for Bellarmine (6-1-1, 4-1-1 GLVC) against Parkside (4-3-1, 4-2), while senior forward Mary Beth Gorham and freshman forward Olivia Taylor added one apiece, with Taylor collecting the game-winner. Taylor also had an assist as did senior midfielder Josie Metzger. It was Bellarmine's highest-scoring effort since a 4-2 victory over Saint Joseph's in late September of 2014.

Bellarmine entered the match having played four straight matches that went to overtime, including Friday's 2-1 win over Lewis in which senior midfielder Lauren Holder connected with Gorham for the "Golden Goal," securing the program's all-time assists record for the former and the all-time goals record for the latter.

There was no need for a heart-stopping moment such as that on Sunday despite the collision of upper-echelon GLVC squads. The Rangers swept the 2014 conference titles, Lewis was a 2015 GLVC Tournament team and then previous opponents Quincy (1-1 tie), Truman State (1-0 overtime loss) and Missouri-St. Louis (2-1 overtime win) were all DII NCAA Tournament teams last season. This relentless stretch of matches could have drained the Knights by Sunday, but they played with focus and energy against UWP.

"This was a huge weekend with respect to the quality of the teams but also where we were in the standings compared to each other," Bellarmine Coach Chris Tinius said. "To bounce back from last weekend with two wins, I'm very proud of our young ladies."

Gorham got Bellarmine going in the first half, posting her fifth goal of the season. In the 20th minute, she found herself open by the far post when Metzger's header off a free kick caromed her way. Gorham calmly buried the shot for a 1-0 lead.

The Knights didn't let up. In the 29th minute, there was a scramble toward the middle of the goal box for a loose ball after a corner kick. Taylor pounced on it, ripping a shot from close range into the net for a 2-0 advantage. It was Taylor's fourth goal of the season.

Bellarmine maintained its level of control of the match early in the second half. In the 59th minute, Taylor headed the ball forward to Van Der Elst, who beat the charging UWP goalkeeper with her own header, punching it into the net for a 3-0 lead.

Wisconsin-Parkside scored on an Abigail Banks to Taylor Burek connection on a corner kick in the 77th minute, and the Rangers applied good pressure on Bellarmine over the next few minutes. However, the Knights withstood that last gasp and Van Der Elst scored her second goal of the match — and third of the season — when she outraced the defense down the right sideline in the final minute, turned the corner and whizzed a shot inside the far post for the exclamation point.

"It's nice to have your two starting forwards finish early and get you in a groove," Tinius said. "And it's great to see Audrey get those two in the second half. We actually talked about her in the scouting report and how well she's been playing. Sometimes she deserves to start, but she's so valuable in multiple spots that sometimes we wait to see exactly where we need her. Today she scored two goals, one at two different positions. It's great to see her get the payoff."

While vulnerable at times this season, Bellarmine's defense was particularly stout in the dominant first half. The Knights allowed a single shot and no truly promising looks at the goal. With a three-goal lead, Tinius substituted liberally for much of the second half. The Knights finished with a 13-11 advantage in shots, including 5-2 on frame as they sank four of those attempts.

"That was by far our most efficient performance of the year," Tinius said. "We let the set piece in, but Parkside has some very dynamic players so to not give up a goal in the flow of play was great to see. I thought our purpose and precision in the final third was much better and we were rewarded for it."

Bellarmine plays next weekend at Indianapolis and Saint Joseph's.

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