LOUISVILLE, Ky.—The Bellarmine field hockey team continues its stretch of six straight road games with visits to Belmont Abbey and Queens University of Charlotte on Saturday and Sunday.
The Knights are off to a 4-2 start and have won three in a row thanks to wins over Converse and Mount Olive this past weekend.
Bellarmine is establishing itself as one of the most potent offenses in the nation, currently ranking second in Division II in goals per game with a 4.0 average. In all, the Knights rank in the nation's top 10 in seven different categories: scoring average (4th), goals per game (2nd), scoring margin (10th), assists per game (9th), points per game (3rd), shot percentage (4th), and penalty corners per game (6th).
Bellarmine's top point-producer on the season is
Merit Harris, who ranks sixth in the nation in goals per game. Through six games, she has tallied six goals and added an assist. Six different players have two or more goals this season with
Amber Hofenk Jerembo (4),
Lindsay Reynolds (3),
April Paulson (3),
Mandi Isom (2), and
Alexa Rastigue (2) all joining Harris on that list. Rastigue, a freshman, also has made an impact on the defensive end, where she ranks second in the nation in defensive saves with three.
In Saturday's opponent, the Knights will square off against a defense that has shut out three of its seven opponents. Belmont Abbey (4-3) has allowed just 12 goals all season, and four of those came against Shippensburg, who was ranked No. 1 at the time.
Offensively, Bizzy Baumeier leads the Crusaders. She has seven goals and two assists on the year, and her 2.29 points per game average ranks 11th in the country.
On Sunday, Bellarmine squares off with another high-powered offense. Queens (5-2) can match or better the Knights' national rankings in a number of offensive statistics. The Royals rank just behind Bellarmine in goals per game with a 3.86 average, but actually are one notch ahead of the Knights in scoring average. Like Bellarmine, Queens ranks in the top 10 of seven different categories and leads the nation in assists per game and shot percentage.
Individually, Mazvita Mitsi is the top scorer for the Royals with five goals and three assists on the season. However, Queens has many more scoring options as nine different players enter Sunday's game with two or more goals. Equally dangerous for opponents is the passing of Gabe Lechner and Maha Clark, who have combined for nine assists on the year.
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