LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Bellarmine University women's soccer team is no stranger to opening the season against a national power, and that tradition is continuing for the Knights.

After debuting against five-time national champion Grand Valley State the last two years, Bellarmine will start its 2019 campaign Thursday by welcoming in 2017 national runner-up and 21st-ranked Carson-Newman for a 7 p.m. (ET) contest at Owsley B. Frazier Stadium.

"Carson-Newman will be very challenging as an opener, which is an environment we've tried to put ourselves in the last few years," Knights Coach Chris Tinius said. "You want to test yourself against the best teams you can to get a clear picture of where you are, and to prepare for the stiff competition within our league. Beyond that, it's not just about those particular games, but how do you approach training the next week after a big victory or difficult result? You learn a lot about what type of mindset you're working with for the season too."

The Knights will confront another stern test almost immediately after facing Carson-Newman, as they will host Tusculum in a 7 p.m. match Saturday. Carson-Newman and Tusculum are both members of the South Atlantic Conference.

Two years ago, Carson-Newman was 30 seconds away from capturing the national championship when the Eagles were called for a foul inside the box. Central Missouri tied the game up at 1-1 on the ensuing penalty kick and then won the national title in a penalty-kick shootout. Carson-Newman finished 2017 at 21-1-1, but it was ostensibly an unbeaten season as the Eagles recorded a loss essentially due to a technicality — in NCAA play the only time a team is credited with a loss instead of a tie when penalty kicks decide a game is in the NCAA Tournament final.

Carson-Newman followed that historic run with another highly successful campaign in 2018. The Eagles finished 15-4-1, claimed their fourth straight SAC regular-season title, advanced to the conference tournament finals for the fourth consecutive year and earned a spot in the Southeast Region semifinals of the NCAA Tournament.

In the preseason coaches' poll, Carson-Newman was tabbed to finish second in the SAC behind Lincoln Memorial. Forward Emilee Futrell (nine goals, five assists last season), defender Jente Kuper, midfielder Lara Hallgrimsdottir (four assists, one goal) and goalkeeper Jackie Burns (11-1, 0.86 goals-against average) were named preseason All-Conference.

"Carson-Newman presents a lot of challenges because they are a solid, consistent program who has been at even another level the last few years," Tinius said. "They will have a great mix of athleticism, skillfulness and soccer savvy, plus the culture of knowing what it takes to compete at a high level. They start with a preseason All-Conference goalkeeper and will have a solid returning presence through all three lines in the field ending with Emilee Futrell up top. We will have to play well and can't cut any corners to have success."

Regardless of Thursday's outcome, Tusculum will present another formidable challenge for Bellarmine on Saturday. With the contest being their season opener, the Pioneers will be much fresher than the Knights. On top of that, Tusculum is coming off an 8-7-3 campaign in which the Pioneers proved their mettle by beating both regular-season champion Carson-Newman and tournament champion Lincoln Memorial on the road during the regular season.

Tusculum was predicted to finish fifth in the SAC in the preseason coaches' poll, and defender Kenzie Ellenburg was selected preseason All-Conference.

"Tusculum will be another terrific opponent," Tinius said. "They have been one of the most consistent programs in this part of the country over the last couple of decades, always capable of challenging anyone on their schedule. They have several good returning players in the attack in (Sonja) Ballmert, (Kate) Guilford and Brooke Radcliffe, who I think is probably poised for a big year. They present enough problems from a soccer perspective, then you throw in the fitness and fatigue factor with them coming in fresh off of no Thursday opener and this game becomes a massive challenge."

Bellarmine tied DIII power Centre 1-1 in an exhibition and scrimmaged a pair of opponents. Tinius said the Knights have done about as much as they could to prepare for their opening matches.

"I feel like we've had a pretty productive preseason," Tinius said. "With as compact as the calendar is, I don't think any team feels like they've covered enough before their first matches, but our young ladies have worked hard and worked for each other. As a result, some of the concepts we've had time to train look a little better than I might have guessed. You never know how those will match up with what other people have chosen to address in their early practices. All you can do the first few weeks is concentrate on what you've stressed to this point, stay organized and hope those things hold up when you step out under the pressure of real games."

Bellarmine went 11-6-3 last season and advanced to the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament finals. The Knights essentially have nine starters back, but at the same time a third of the roster consists of freshmen. Tinius said he never knows what to expect at the outset of seasons, and that uncertain view won't change this year.

"You can take some things from the preseason matches, but the energy and emotions around the first real game are different," he said. "It doesn't matter if it's your first time or you are a senior. Returners may be in a new role or combining with different people than they have in the past so it may feel new even to them. Everyone will handle it in their own way; you can't let it consume you, but if you don't have at least a little nervous energy than why are you doing this? One reason coaches across all sports talk so much about the basics and the things you can control is to help navigate these types of situations."

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