LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Bellarmine University women's soccer team got back in the business of posting shutouts.

On Thursday at Owsley B. Frazier Stadium, freshman defender Elise Markley scored her first collegiate goal in the 72nd minute, and the Knights made it stand in a 1-0 victory over Charleston in their home opener.

"It's good to get the monkey off our back and get that first win," Bellarmine Coach Chris Tinius said. "I thought specifically in the second half we had the energy we needed from all 11 people out of the gate. It still wasn't perfect but that made a huge difference in our psyche that carried throughout the second 45 minutes."

After a scoreless first half, Bellarmine (1-2) applied the pressure after the intermission and was finally rewarded with a 1-0 lead over Charleston (1-2). Senior midfielder Audrey Van Der Elst sent a corner kick toward the top center of the goal area, and in the battle to get a head on the ball, it deflected to Markley inside the right corner of the box. The freshman ripped a shot from 15 yards toward the far post that cleared the Charleston goalkeeper's outstretched hands and broke the plane of the goal just before a Golden Eagles defender could attempt to make the stop.

"In the attack, we looked more dynamic at times," Tinius said. "Obviously playing with more energy and at a higher speed changes the timing of runs and the final pass. If we can continually play with that determination, we will eventually develop more of a rapport with each other as the year goes on. And it's always very cool to see a freshman get their first goal."

Bellarmine finished with a 17-7 advantage in shots, including 7-2 on frame. The Knights outshot Charleston 11-4 in the second half. Sophomore goalkeeper Elyssa Francis tallied her first collegiate shutout.

"Charleston had some quick players in the attack. Our shape was a little sloppy in the first half, but we held them out," Tinius said. "We were much better down the middle of the field defensively in the second half."

Bellarmine was coming off a formidable week of play in which it fell 3-1 to current No. 3 Grand Valley State and 3-2 to Ferris State, both on the road. The Knights will host Northwood at noon (ET) Sunday.

"We had some people handle some challenges well within the game," Tinius said, "and some people handle challenges well coming out of last weekend. That was good to see."

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