LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Bellarmine University men's soccer team stands among a crowded top half of the Great Lakes Valley Conference standings, and the Knights will look to remain there at the conclusion of this week's competition.

Bellarmine (7-5-1, 6-3-1 GLVC) is set to host William Jewell (5-9, 2-8) at 6:30 p.m. (ET) Friday before welcoming Drury (2-9-3, 2-6-2) for a 2:30 p.m. contest Sunday that also marks Senior Day. Three matches remain in the regular season — the Knights will welcome Indianapolis on Wednesday in their finale.

Bellarmine is immersed in a five-way tie for third place in the GLVC with Indianapolis, McKendree, Maryville and Quincy, with all carrying 6-3-1 league records. Southern Indiana, at 8-1-1, is the conference leader while Illinois Springfield is in second at 6-2-2.

"The league looks really balanced as the records show at this point, and it's going to go down to those last Wednesday games as always to determine the spots and seeds," Bellarmine Coach Tim Chastonay said. "It's great to be playing at home to finish up the regular season, but that won't guarantee wins. We need to prepare all week for two solid teams this weekend."

Bellarmine has risen toward the upper echelon of the league standings behind a hot streak that has seen it win five of its last six matches. Most recently, the Knights posted a pair of 2-0 road victories over Missouri-St. Louis and Truman State. Junior midfielder Gilio Aviles and freshman midfielder Nate Girao scored against the Tritons, while sophomore midfielder Micah Linscott netted both goals against the Bulldogs to bring his team-high total to seven. Junior forward Tomas Bernedo assisted on three of Bellarmine's four goals over the two games, giving him six helpers on the season.

Bellarmine's defense took a big step forward by allowing a single shot on goal over the two matches. Sophomore center back Jonas Skulstad was the recipient of GLVC Defensive Player of the Week accolades. The Knights have held their last three opponents under 10 shots and yielded only one goal.

"It was a good weekend for the program as we finally showed some progress," Chastonay said. "We started strong and found ourselves scoring first in both games. Falling behind and chasing the game on the road seemed to be our pattern in the past. We did a great job defensively this weekend, but that probably had a lot to do with us being ahead in the games and not having to take more risk going forward with numbers. The guys in the back made some really solid decisions all weekend."

William Jewell is coming off a 3-2 victory over a Lewis squad that snapped Bellarmine's 13-game winning streak at Owsley B. Frazier Stadium. Teddy Gifford leads the Cardinals with eight goals.

"William Jewell is coming off a good win against a tough Lewis team," Chastonay said. "They have shown the ability to score goals and that makes them dangerous on any night. They play good soccer and this will be a real test for our guys on Friday."

In last weekend's action, Drury tied Illinois Springfield 1-1 before falling 2-1 to Quincy. Jamie O'Brien is pacing the Panthers with five goals.

"Drury will be another tough test for our guys Sunday on Senior Day," Chastonay said. "They've had some very good performances of late and have turned their season around. They play a good brand of soccer, and this will be a tough game on short rest."

Bellarmine will honor Zach Pogue and Ismael Candelario on Senior Day. Pogue has made nearly 50 starts in goal during his four-year career with the Knights. He has a heavy presence in the program record book, where he ranks third in career shutouts (15) and is in the single-season top 10 for goals-against average (fourth, 0.83, 2015; t-sixth, 0.99, 2016; t-ninth, 1.18, 2017), save percentage (ninth, 0.764, 2015) and shutouts (second, 7, 2015; t-fifth, 5, 2016). Candelario is a four-year member of the Knights who has played on the back line and in the midfield for the team. Both Pogue and Candelario have been fixtures on the Academic All-GLVC teams.

"Zach has been a great student-athlete over his four-year career," Chastonay said. "His play in goal has been outstanding. He is a great shot-stopper and commands his box as well as any keeper we have had in the past. He has become a good leader this season. Zach is an excellent student and has done a tremendous job as our SAAC representative. He's going to be a huge success after graduation.

"Ismael has been a great addition to our team. He is a versatile player who can play as a central defender or defensive midfielder. He reads the game well and excels in defending 1v1 situations, tackling and heading. When called upon, he has done a great job. 'Ish' is a very good student and has a very bright future after graduation." 

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