LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Bellarmine University men's soccer team may be a reigning conference tournament champion, but the challenge ahead of the Knights represents a whole new animal.

The one-seed from the North Division, Bellarmine (4-3) opens play in its first-ever ASUN Championship in the semifinals against South two-seed FGCU (2-3-4), as the squads will meet at 4 p.m. (ET) Thursday at Southern Oak Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida.

In its final season in Division II, Bellarmine captured the GLVC Tournament title. The Knights are hoping to claim some hardware in their inaugural season in D1.

"The team has proven quite a bit during the regular season, and I think the conference tournament is another chance for our guys to go out and play against the best teams," Bellarmine Coach Tim Chastonay said. "It's a chance to play for a championship, and as an athlete you don't get many of these opportunities, so we are hoping they make the best of this chance."

ASUN teams played divisional conference games only in the regular season this year. Bellarmine wrangled the North's one seed after going 3-1 in two matches apiece against Lipscomb and Liberty. In the four-team South, FGCU went 2-2-2 and secured the division's two-seed.

In the preseason coaches' poll, which was not separated by division, FGCU was voted the team to beat among the seven squads. The Eagles advanced to the ASUN semifinals after defeating South three-seed North Florida 5-3 in penalty kicks after officially tying 1-1. O'vonte Mullings has posted four goals in nine games.

"FGCU was the preseason favorite this year and has a proven track record of success," Chastonay said. "From what we can tell, they have been down some players, but are expected to be back at full strength by Thursday. They have quality individual players that can really perform in the attacking third of the field. They look organized defensively and are hard to break down. This will be a real challenge for our guys this week."

Chastonay noted that the three other teams joining Bellarmine in the semifinals — Jacksonville and Lipscomb in addition to FGCU — have more at stake than the Knights, who are not eligible to earn an NCAA Tournament bid during their four-year D1 transitional phase and must match the determination of their counterparts.

"With so much on the line for the other three teams, we will definitely need to elevate our play this week," Chastonay said. "Our guys have approached the season similar to other seasons. They have a will to win and have given the level of commitment demanded at this level. We have moved to NCAA D1 and are playing very good teams, but the recipe for success remains the same to these guys. As a coach, I notice the difference in size, speed, athleticism, skill, etc., but our guys feel they belong and can perform at the level required."

Bellarmine is hoping to perform at that level for two more games. Speaking of two games, that's how many the Knights have played over the last month after Evansville needed a nonconference game at Bellarmine canceled due to conference scheduling complications arising. Time away from competition didn't seem to faze the Knights in their 2-1 double-overtime victory over Lipscomb that locked in the North one-seed on April 3, and Bellarmine is hoping the same holds true against FGCU after a 12-day layoff from game action.

"I think there is always concern when you have not played on a more regular schedule," Chastonay said, "but I do think the team is just happy to have another game in front of them. We have tried to use the time wisely to better our play."

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