LOUISVILLE, Ky. — To be elite, you've got to beat the elite.

And on Wednesday night at Owsley B. Frazier Stadium, the Bellarmine University men's soccer team did just that, earning a signature win with a gritty 1-0 victory over 2017 national champion Charleston in its final nonconference match of the regular season.

Senior forward Tomas Bernedo scored inside the first 10 minutes for Bellarmine, which is 3-0 for the first time since 2009. The Knights pushed their unbeaten streak to 12 dating back to last season, the latest a victory over a Charleston squad that went 18-1-2 last year and 21-1-2 in its 2017 national title campaign.

Bellarmine got to Charleston (1-2) early before the Golden Eagles settled in. In the ninth minute, flanking the left side of the goal box, junior midfielder Collin Rose curled a free kick toward the back post where junior defender Jonas Skulstad was stationed. In heavy traffic, Skulstad managed to poke the ball toward the center of the goal area for Bernedo, who ripped the ball into the net for a 1-0 lead.

That turned out to be Bellarmine's only shot of the first half, but the Knights capitalized on the opportunity. Charleston, on the other hand, missed two prime chances before halftime as the Golden Eagles were wide on a pair of 1vs1 attempts. Charleston also had a would-be goal on a header waved off due to offsides.

Sophomore goalkeeper Connor Range had an active and clutch evening for Bellarmine with seven saves, including four in the first half. After Bernedo's third goal in three games, Charleston controlled the majority of the action before the intermission and held a 6-1 advantage in shots.

After an initial push by Charleston in the second half, Bellarmine evened things out as the frame progressed. There weren't many tense attacking moments after the break as both defenses were sturdy and disciplined.

Charleston held a 5-3 advantage in shots the second half and 11-4 edge for the game, including 7-3 on frame.

Bellarmine opens GLVC play at 2:30 p.m. (ET) Sunday at Indianapolis.

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