LOUISVILLE, Ky.—The Bellarmine Field Hockey Team didn't have to wait too long for its first D1 victory this season as the Knights pulled off a 2-1 upset over Ball State in their season opener on Sunday evening at Trager Stadium.
 
Bellarmine junior Amber Hofenk Jerembo rifled in a shot off a penalty corner early in the fourth quarter that proved to the difference maker.  The Knights had taken a 1-0 lead into halftime after Teresa Schmidt found Peyton Hobson just in front of the goal, and the sophomore finished the play early in the second period.
 
The Cardinals, who were picked to finish fourth in the Mid-American Conference this season, notched their long goal late in the third quarter when Maya Guinn deflected in a hard cross from Augustina Guidace during a penalty corner.
 
The victory was particularly sweet for the Knights, who return all but one player from last year's squad that went 0-13 as Bellarmine made the transition to DI.  
 
"Wow! What a feeling," exclaimed Bellarmine Coach Devanny Boisvert.  "It has definitely been a long time coming especially after a challenging season in the spring. I am so proud of this group.  We've come a long way and have progressed so much in a short period of time. The energy from the sideline to the field to the fans in the stands was unmatched. This group had made history--first Division I win with Bellarmine field hockey. They will go down in the history books."
 
Although Bellarmine won "the war," Ball State was victorious in a number of the "battles" inside the game. The Cardinals owned advantages in shots (16-7) and penalty corners (12-6), but the Bellarmine defense stiffened when necessary.  Goalkeeper Breanna McWhorter made eight saves and freshman Isabel Gladys picked up a defensive save in her first official collegiate game.
 
"We've worked so hard to get this to moment," Boisvert said of her team's play. "We've invested a lot of time and energy into our positioning, defensive tactics and possession piece. It was so nice to see it come together but also see when things weren't perfect, that we became a gritty team and dug deep until the end. Ball State is such a strong defensive team so having the opportunity to get two goals in was huge for us. Ball State made some nice adjustments at half time and made it difficult for us to stay organized, but I'm proud of our girls for fighting until the end."
 
Bellarmine's next action comes on Friday, Sept. 3 when they travel to Oxford, Ohio for a neutral site contest against Rider.  The game will be played at Miami University.