LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Going from mostly a mystery to highly familiar with specific teams in the ASUN has been a component of the Bellarmine University women's soccer team's first season in the league in this most unusual year of play.

In the quarterfinals of the ASUN Championship, North three-seed Bellarmine (2-5-3) will square off with North two-seed Kennesaw State (6-7) at noon (ET) Saturday at Fifth Third Bank Stadium.

The clash will mark the third of the season between the Knights and the Owls, who've gotten quickly acquainted. Kennesaw State scored in the 86th minute in capturing a 1-0 victory over Bellarmine on March 7 at Owsley B. Frazier Stadium, and the Owls claimed a 2-1 victory March 21 at the KSU Sports Park behind a go-ahead goal in the 84th minute.

"Both games were close but they did have a bit of a different feel," Knights Coach Chris Tinius said. "Kennesaw was a bit beat up the first time and hadn't quite found their stride. We were able to get a hold of that game more early but didn't find a goal. They kind of flipped the script in the second half and got a late goal. The second game was the opposite. They were certainly on the front foot for most of the first half, and we kind of settled in after halftime." 

Kennesaw State placed second in the ASUN North after going 5-3 in league action. The Owls won four of their final five matches overall. Erin Harris is leading KSU with five goals while Kendall Higgs and Kendall Hart have collected two apiece.

"Kennesaw definitely has some of the top athletes in the league," Tinius said. "They obviously present a physical challenge that you have to meet. Dealing with that can also test your mental fitness as the game progresses. That caught up to us late in both of the first two meetings. Lipscomb is another team that presents similar problems, and we did a better job seeing that out last week (in a 1-1 tie). Hopefully, that is a sign of growth."

Bellarmine earned the North three-seed with that deadlock against Lipscomb. It was a pivotal result, as the Knights would have been relegated to a play-in game to the quarterfinals with a loss. The Bisons went unbeaten in ASUN play and Bellarmine was one of only two teams — the other being Liberty — to earn a point against them with draws.

"The result at Lipscomb on Saturday helps just because you want some confidence heading into tournament play no matter who your final opponent was," Tinius said. "We have used the term 'realistic optimism' all year. We've known since we started training last fall that we had to be very disciplined in doing some very specific things every time out, and if we did we could have a chance in most games. I would hope the belief in that has grown every week going back to the first exhibition game."

Only one of Bellarmine's losses in the regular season came by more than one goal, and that was all the way back in the season opener in a 2-0 setback at Dayton. Ever since, the Knights have provided themselves the opportunity to, at the very least, draw even with their opponent by the final whistle.

"I think we should be very proud of our consistent competiveness over the course of an entire season," Tinius said. "The reality is that in the past, even in our Sweet 16 year (2015), we would have at least one clunker. We've talked a lot about learning how to get results and win at this level, not just hang around, but that's a much better conversation to have than some of the alternatives."

Bellarmine has a boatload of players familiar with postseason success. The Knights advanced to at least the GLVC Tournament semifinals in four of their last five seasons in Division II, including the last three. A senior class that logged significant minutes as freshmen helped Bellarmine advance to the second round of the NCAA II Tournament in their first year.

"I think having some previous postseason success is helpful, regardless of what level it was at," Tinius said. "I also think in a unique year like this that playing a team for a third time is helpful. I don't anticipate huge surprises on either side. We kind of know what to expect. It's more about who is up for meeting the challenge that you know is ahead of you."

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