LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Endurance tests to start the season don't get much more challenging than this.

For the third consecutive game to start the 2021 campaign, the Bellarmine University women's soccer team played to a 1-1 stalemate, with the latest deadlock coming Sunday against Purdue Fort Wayne at Owsley B. Frazier Stadium.

In sweltering heat, Bellarmine (0-0-3) competed in another 110-minute affair. In this 1-1 contest, the Knights rallied to tie in the second half against Purdue Fort Wayne (1-0-3) after they couldn't hold 1-0 leads previously against Evansville and Wright State.

"I thought the physical effort from both teams today is to be commended," Knights Coach Chris Tinius said. "We were both coming off of overtime games and playing in some real heat. The game got a little sloppy at times, but based on the circumstances, I thought both teams did well."

After a scoreless first half, Purdue Fort Wayne broke into the scoring column in the 70th minute. On one of her several impressive runs up the left side, the speedy Kayla Shebar crossed to Gigi Ricciardi for a goal.

Bellarmine knotted it up in the 79th minute. Junior forward Zenia Nava had a strong strike that was batted down by the Mastodons' goalkeeper, but sophomore forward Sophie Bish drove in the rebound for her first goal of the season.

"I was really happy to see us fight back and get that goal," Tinius said. "Conceding first on a day like this can zap you, but we showed some resolve to get one back. Individually, it was good to see Sophie bounce back from a couple subpar performances and find a goal. Both teams missed some chances. I think a tie is a fair result, but it probably could have been 2-2 or 3-3."

Indeed, in the extra sessions, Bellarmine had a prime chance to end things as senior midfielder Sarah Buse launched a perfectly placed free kick toward a freed up teammate on the back post, but the Knights couldn't quite get clean contact on a header.

Just as they did on the scoreboard, the teams also tied in shots, with 13 apiece. Purdue Fort Wayne had an 8-4 advantage on frame, with senior goalkeeper Elyssa Francis registering six saves for Bellarmine.

Bellarmine will host Northern Kentucky at 7 p.m. (ET) Thursday.

"The big thing moving forward is piecing together the things that we've learned," Tinius said. "There have been some good lessons in these first three games, but a piece at a time doesn't complete the job. We'll keep trying to add to our arsenal until it all clicks at the same time."

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