LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Bellarmine University women's soccer team will open the ASUN Championship with a 7 p.m. (ET) quarterfinal contest Friday at Florida Gulf Coast University.

Bellarmine (4-6-7, 2-5-2 ASUN) is the four-seed from the West Division, while FGCU (10-7, 7-2) is the top seed from the East.

LAST MEETING
Friday's game will represent the second clash between the two teams this season at Pickering Field at the FGCU Soccer Complex.

In the regular-season contest Sept. 26, FGCU captured a 2-0 win over Bellarmine. It was scoreless at halftime before ASUN Player of the Year candidate Louise Lillback scored a pair of goals four minutes apart in the second half.

FGCU held a 16-5 advantage in shots, including 10-1 on frame, but the game could also be recalled for Bellarmine not capitalizing on some prime scoring chances in the first half. The Knights had opened ASUN play the previous game with a disappointing 1-0 double-overtime loss at Stetson but were more assured three days later against FGCU despite the outcome.

"We left Fort Myers with a 2-0 defeat, but we also left with some confidence that we had bounced back from what we thought was a poor performance a few days earlier," Knights Coach Chris Tinius said. "We got off to a good start and were probably a little unlucky not to have found a goal. Then they wore on us like a good team will. They are athletic with some talented difference-makers in the attack. If we are fortunate enough to get early chances again against a team of this quality, we have to be ready to make the most of them."

ABOUT FGCU
In addition to Bellarmine, FGCU also defeated Eastern Kentucky in that opening week of ASUN play.

That set the tone for a strong conference run that included an East Division title. The Eagles have built momentum heading into the ASUN Championship after following a 1-0 win over Liberty with a 2-1 overtime victory over Stetson. Two games prior to Liberty, FGCU romped 3-0 over North Florida, the preseason favorite in the East.

Lillback didn't just terrorize Bellarmine during the regular season. Her 12 goals overall ranks second in the ASUN, but her 11 during conference play tops the league. Lillback is also second in the conference with five game-winning goals. She has accounted for 11 of the team's 15 goals against ASUN opponents.

Katie Sullivan has recorded seven shutouts in goal.

"FGCU is one of the benchmark programs in this league," Tinius said. "They challenged themselves against a tremendously difficult nonconference schedule (including Florida State, No. 1 for most of the season). They've certainly been very consistent since league play started, just as you would expect. I don't think their success is a surprise to anyone."

LAST TIME OUT
Needing a win to put itself in position for a berth in the ASUN Championship, Bellarmine delivered in the clutch with a 1-0 victory at Eastern Kentucky.

Sophomore forward Sophie Bish pounced on a miscue by the EKU goalkeeper and drew a foul in the box in the process. Senior midfielder Sarah Buse capitalized by sinking the ensuing penalty kick.

Senior goalkeeper Elyssa Francis collected seven saves as Bellarmine's defense posted its fifth shutout.

"We were obviously very proud of the effort on Saturday, more so for how we handled moments than our quality of play," Tinius said. "It wasn't our best in terms of our soccer when compared to the last couple of weeks, but we finally won some of the moments we've been talking about over and over. It was great to see them do that in a pressure situation with a lot on the line. Regardless of where we go from here, that was a big step in our development."

TOURNAMENT READY
Bellarmine kept its season alive with the win over EKU in the regular-season finale.

That capped an ASUN slate in which the Knights exhibited solid play since the FGCU game, and if they had capitalized on a few more opportunities, it's not unreasonable to suggest a share of the division title was within their grasp.

"I think we've done a lot to be proud of within ASUN play," Tinius said. "You have to strike a balance. I think some frustration with recent results is good in that we feel like we can do more, but we can't let it consume us. We know at this point we are a team that has to compete and play a lot of close games. Sometimes they will go your way and sometimes they bounce the other way. Those things will even out over time. We just have to stay focused on what we can control and keep creating the situations that give us a chance to be successful. If we do that and continue expecting ourselves to win those moments instead of just hoping, we can be dangerous."

BALANCED OUT
Bellarmine is 2-3-4 in road games this season and was 2-3-3 at home. There have been seasons in recent years where the Knights have actually been much better on the road, and they've played capably once again this season when racking up the mileage.

"Playing on the road is always difficult, but especially in this league," Tinius said. "Our big thing is trying to keep the approach and process as consistent as possible. That can be harder with a younger team. We've got a pretty similar record home and away, so I think we've done a decent job with that, and at this point in the year everyone has been through it enough to hopefully have tested and tinkered enough with their own individual preparation. In tournament time, the quality of the teams you are playing should be a bigger worry than the travel."

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