LOUISVILLE, Ky. — There was a lot to celebrate Wednesday night at Owsley B. Frazier Stadium for the Bellarmine University men's soccer team.
Freshman midfielder
Nate Girao scored with 48 seconds remaining in the second overtime as the Knights pulled off a thrilling 3-2 victory over No. 25 Indianapolis that clinched the two-seed in the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament.
Bellarmine's second-place finish in the GLVC regular season is its best since the Knights topped the league in 1989. For the second straight season, Bellarmine (10-5-1, 9-3-1 GLVC) tied the program record for conference wins, and the Knights accomplished the feat in one less game than last season and in two less matches than in 2011 and 2012.
As a result of the win over Indianapolis (12-4-1, 8-4-1), Bellarmine will host seven-seed Quincy at 2:30 p.m. (ET) Sunday at Frazier Stadium in the GLVC Tournament quarterfinals. The Knights will enter the postseason on a six-game winning streak.
Junior forward
Tomas Bernedo and sophomore midfielder
Micah Linscott each tallied a goal and an assist against UIndy, while sophomore defender
Greg Fischer registered two assists for the Knights, who took a 2-0 lead over the Greyhounds before answering in the second overtime after Indianapolis had rallied to tie.
The match seemed destined for a stalemate as less than a minute remained in the second extra session. But the Knights got a chance to strike as Fischer set up for a free kick about 40 yards out near the left sideline. He sent the ball into the box, and Lincott headed it toward the back post. A streaking Girao was there for the finish as his fourth goal of the season set off a delirious celebration.
While Bellarmine ended the match in the 110th minute, the Knights got on the board very early in the contest as Fischer curled in a cross toward the near post, and Bernedo finished the pass for a 1-0 lead in just the fourth minute. It was Bernedo's sixth goal of the season.
Bellarmine built its lead to 2-0 in the 20th minute. Bernedo headed a throw-in into the box for Linscott, who ripped a shot inside the right post. It was the 10th goal of the season for Linscott, who became the first Knight since Robert Bowling in 2012 to record double-digit goals. Bernedo supplied his eighth assist.
Bellarmine nearly took a 3-0 lead, but UIndy goalkeeper Miles Palmer stopped a 1v1. The Greyhounds then cut their deficit in half when Alejandro Steinwascher headed in a goal in the 34th minute. The score remained 2-1 at halftime, but UIndy knotted the match at 2 in the 79th minute on Vincent Stone's goal.
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BOX SCORE (HTM)