LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Bellarmine University men's soccer team once again dominated in shots, and this time the scoreboard reflected it.
On Monday at Owsley B. Frazier Stadium, Bellarmine scored twice in the second half and didn't allow Kentucky Wesleyan a single shot after halftime of a 2-0 victory in the Knights' final nonconference match.
Freshman forward
Tomas Bernedo collected his first collegiate goal, which proved to be the game winner for Bellarmine (1-1-1). Senior forward
Luke Mocherman added insurance against the Panthers (0-2) with his second goal of the season, while senior defender
Zach Digan and sophomore midfielder
Keegan Gordon chipped in assists.
Bellarmine was coming off a tough-to-swallow 3-2 loss in double overtime to Cedarville in which the Knights outshot the Yellow Jackets 21-8 and had a 16-4 advantage in corner kicks. The numbers were just as lopsided Monday — Bellarmine outshot KWC 22-6 including 8-1 on frame — but on this occasion the Knights seized the victory.
After a scoreless and relatively even first half, Bellarmine took command in the second half when Digan sent a long lead pass to Bernedo in the 52nd minute. He tracked down the ball on the left side well ahead of the Panthers' defense and buried an open shot inside the near post for his first goal in a Knights uniform.
In the 74th minute, Gordon did some nifty dribbling to free himself up toward the goal line. He whizzed a cross inside the goal area where Mocherman was in position to quickly redirect the pass into the net for a 2-0 lead. It was Gordon's second assist of the season.
Bellarmine dodged a major bullet early thanks to sophomore goalkeeper
Zach Pogue. In the fourth minute, the Knights were whistled for a foul inside the box, and Pogue dived to bat away the penalty kick of Blake Cobb.
Kentucky Wesleyan attempted all six of its shots in the first half. Bellarmine owned the second half with 14 shots to zero for the Panthers.
Bellarmine opens Great Lakes Valley Conference play on Friday when it hosts Maryville at 6:30 p.m. (ET).
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BOX SCORE (HTM)
