LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A historical season ended in heartbreaking fashion for the Bellarmine University men's soccer team.
On Friday night at Owsley B. Frazier Stadium, 17th-ranked and third-seeded Maryville scored twice inside the last seven minutes in rallying to defeat the 12th-ranked and second-seeded Knights 2-1 in the Super Region 3 semifinals of the DII NCAA Tournament.
Bellarmine (16-1-5) finishes a season oozing with history-making feats. The Knights recorded the most wins in program history and the most Great Lakes Valley Conference victories (10), went unbeaten in the regular season, won their first GLVC Tournament title, earned their first berth in the NCAA Tournament and advanced to their first Sweet 16. The Knights had an astonishing 30-game unbeaten streak bridging two seasons.
Friday marked Bellarmine's third meeting this season with Maryville (17-3-2). The teams tied 1-1 in the regular season, and the Knights captured a dramatic 2-1 victory in the GLVC Tournament semifinals after scoring 53 seconds after the Saints tied it up in the 89th minute.
Maryville turned the tables in the third showdown, overcoming a 1-0 deficit deep in the match by scoring twice in less than two minutes. Both goals came from Helmut Florencia, who tied it at 1-1 in the 84th minute by sinking a shot from inside the right corner of the box.
In the 86th minute, a 2-on-1 situation developed between the Saints and Knights sophomore goalkeeper
Connor Range, and Florencia converted off a pass from Cedric Sengl. Maryville held off Bellarmine in the final minutes.
After a scoreless first half, Bellarmine freshman forward
Juan Ballas crossed to senior forward
Tomas Bernedo, who slotted the ball inside the near post with a sliding strike for a 1-0 lead in the 59th minute. It was the 14th goal of the season for the GLVC Offensive Player of the Year.
Bellarmine finished with a 17-13 advantage in shots, including 5-4 on frame. The Knights had a 9-3 superiority in shots in the first half, but the Saints had a 10-8 edge after the break.
Maryville will meet Indianapolis, another GLVC team, in the Super Region 3 finals at 2 p.m. (ET) Sunday at Frazier Stadium. The ninth-seeded Greyhounds defeated fifth-seeded Ohio Valley 3-2.
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