ST. LOUIS — The Bellarmine University women's soccer team had decidedly mixed emotions after Wednesday's regular-season finale in which the visiting Knights played to a scoreless draw with Missouri-St. Louis in Great Lakes Valley Conference play at Don Dallas Field.

Bellarmine (7-3-5, 6-3-5 GLVC) will host a GLVC Tournament quarterfinal game, but the Knights didn't learn their fate until well after their match with the Tritons (5-7-4, 4-7-3) had been completed as Southern Indiana fell 2-1 to McKendree thus clinching a first-round contest at Owsley B. Frazier Stadium.

That part was satisfying. The unsatisfying aspect was Bellarmine entered as the sixth-ranked team in the Midwest Region and needed a victory over Missouri-St. Louis to help solidify its position in the push toward a DII NCAA Tournament berth.

"Another tough-luck result in some ways," Bellarmine Coach Chris Tinius said. "We had a lot of close calls in the second half and overtime. We once again kept a shutout while creating enough chances to win the game. There were a lot of positives.

"On the other hand," he continued, "it's very disappointing. We had a lot to play for not just for the GLVC Tournament but the NCAA Tournament. Unfortunately, the way we trained yesterday and the way we played in the first half you wouldn't have known it. We can't really be disappointed when we take moments off."

Bellarmine's impenetrable defense registered its fifth consecutive shutout, and the Knights have allowed a single goal over their last eight contests. Senior goalkeeper Taylor Smith recorded her 10th shutout of the year to tie the single-season program record held by Chelsea Smalley (2002) and Amy Kunowski (2011, 2012).

The teams combined for only three shots in the first half. They finished even with 10 attempts apiece, but Bellarmine had a 6-3 edge in shots on goal. Early in the second overtime, junior defender Madison Stephens nearly delivered the game-winner, but her shot caromed off the crossbar.

Bellarmine is the fourth seed in the GLVC Tournament and will host fifth-seeded Southern Indiana at noon (ET) Sunday at Frazier Stadium. The teams played to a scoreless tie on Sept. 17 at Frazier Stadium.

"The bad news is we didn't help ourselves and our backs are now against the wall. It's now win or go home," Tinius said in reference to NCAA Tournament aspirations. "The good news is our backs are against the wall, and that's when we've tended to play our best.

"Overall, while it's been a rollercoaster, it's been a good regular season. We had a young group, and we were shooting for October to play our best. Despite today's result, and especially the first half, we feel like we have played our best soccer the last three-and-a-half weeks. Hopefully, it carries over into Sunday."

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