LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Bellarmine University women's soccer team will have a shot at securing the North Division's three-seed in the ASUN Championship when the visiting Knights meet Lipscomb on Saturday night in the squads' regular-season finale.
Bellarmine (2-5-2, 2-3-2 ASUN) and the Bisons (7-2-1, 6-0-1) will battle at 7 p.m. (ET) at the Lipscomb Soccer Complex.
Bellarmine would need a win or draw against Lipscomb to lock up the North's three-seed, but the Knights can do no worse than claim the division's four-seed. However, there's a critical difference between earning the three- and four-seed — the lower of the two must play a first-round game against North five-seed North Alabama (0-5-2 ASUN) while the higher of the two begins play in the quarterfinals.
Lipscomb has clinched the North's top seed, and Kennesaw State (4-3 ASUN) has sewn up the two-seed. The Knights are in the mix with Liberty (2-3-3 ASUN) for the three-seed and have the upper hand if a tiebreaker was necessary after going 1-0-1 against the Flames.
Securing a draw, let alone a win, against division winner Lipscomb will be a formidable challenge. The Bisons' only non-win in league play was a scoreless draw against Liberty, but when the teams met again eight days later, Lipscomb rolled to a 5-1 victory. The Bisons swept Kennesaw State, including a 4-0 win in their first meeting, and they're coming off a 7-0 triumph over North Alabama.
To its credit, Bellarmine played Lipscomb to a one-goal game on March 14, falling 1-0 to the Bisons at Owsley B. Frazier Stadium. Lipscomb scored in the eighth minute off a corner kick, but the Knights gave themselves a chance to draw even for 80-plus minutes thereafter.
Bellarmine's defense limited Lipscomb to a commendable five shots on goal and 11 overall, but the Bisons' defense was also impressive in the first meeting, holding the Knights to one shot on frame and only two overall.
Bellarmine is coming off a 2-2 stalemate with Liberty. Sophomore
Zenia Nava and junior
Lauren Mackey scored as the Knights posted their first multi-goal game at the Division I level.
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