LOUISVILLE, Ky.—What a difference a day makes.  Twenty-four hours after being shut out, the Bellarmine Knights field hockey team exploded for nine goals in trouncing visiting DePauw 9-2 in an exhibition game on Sunday afternoon at Owsley B. Frazier Stadium.
 
"I am proud of this group for turning it around today and coming with a stronger mental approach" said Bellarmine Coach Devanny Boisvert. "We didn't have the best warmup, but we regrouped before the beginning of the game to refocus on our game plan. Our goal was to get a goal, corner or shot every time we entered the circle, and our attack did a great job executing."
 
The Knights wasted no time putting that game plan into action, drawing two penalty corners on the opening possession and scoring just 86 seconds into the game. Mandi Isom got position just to the right of the cage and converted a pass from Teresa Schmidt for the game's first score.
 
Bellarmine tacked on another goal just a minute later as freshman Amber Hofenk Jerembo tallied the first of her four goals on the afternoon.  The Knights pushed the lead to 3-0 when Merit Harris was the recipient of Isom's second assist on the day, and Bellarmine took that three-cushion lead into the second quarter.
 
Although the visiting Tigers never seriously threatened the lead, DePauw registered the first goal of the second period to trim its deficit to two.  Bellarmine, however answered just a little over a minute later on another Hofenk Jerembo goal, and the Knights took a 5-1 lead into halftime as Cassidy Sweeney found the back of the cage just before the horn sounded to end the first half.
 
In the second half, Bellarmine simply kept the offensive pressure on the Tigers, allowing DePauw just three shots in the final 30 minutes. 
The Knights peppered Tiger goalie Allie Duranceau with 26 shots on the day, and different players hit the scoring column for Bellarmine.
 
"Nine goals from five different people was nice to see," Boisvert said. "Amber had a phenomenal game. Four goals from a freshman is definitely exciting to see for the future of the program. The forward line did such a better job at connecting with one another, making the right runs and taking shot right when they enter the circle."
 
The improved teamwork showed in the high shot percentage from the front line players. Hofenk Jerembo needed just nine shots for her four goals while Isom converted two of her five shots. Harris and Lexi Wingfield, meanwhile were both one-for-one on the day, and Sweeney was one for two.
 
DePauw, which got goals from Kate Milner and Sophie Metzger, got off 10 shots in the game with Bellarmine goalies Breanna McWhorter and Heather Gregory making five and two saves respectively in the contest.
 
"We definitely still need to work on our team defense," Boisvert said, "but this will give us some confidence as we prepare for two nationally recognized programs in two weeks."
 
Bellarmine opens the regular season with road games on Sept. 7 and 8, facing East Stroudsburg and Bloomburg on back-to-back days.
 
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