LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Bellarmine University men's soccer team hits the road again this week, but the location is nothing more than a modest bike ride away.

Bellarmine (2-0) will square off with Louisville (1-1) at 7:30 p.m. (ET) Friday just across town at Dr. Mark & Cindy Lynn Stadium. The contest will represent the Knights' first against the Cardinals at the Division I level after making the transition last season.

"We will definitely learn a lot about our group after playing this game," Knights Coach Tim Chastonay said. 

LAST TIME OUT
Bellarmine pulled out a 1-0 road win in overtime Sunday at Purdue Fort Wayne after sophomore defender Brock Pope netted the golden goal about halfway through the first extra session.

It was a resilient effort by Bellarmine, which was discouraged at the intermission after knowing it should have established a minimum one-goal lead by the break and played on its heels in the second half before finding a way to regroup in extra time.

"The Purdue Fort Wayne game was one we almost let slip away," Chastonay said. "We played well the first half and created several good opportunities to go ahead. Unfortunately, we missed our opportunities, and this almost became very costly for us in the end. Purdue Fort Wayne made some good adjustments in the second half and was the better team for long stretches of the half. In the end, we found that little extra effort in overtime to secure a win on the road."

ABOUT LOUISVILLE
Louisville opened the season last Thursday by falling 2-1 in double overtime at Saint Louis. On Monday, however, the Cardinals rallied with two goals inside the last four minutes to knock off Evansville 2-1 at home.

Louisville was picked to finish third in the Atlantic Division in the Atlantic Coast Conference preseason coaches' poll. Forward Pedro Fonseca was recognized on the ACC Preseason Watch List for the second straight season.

Louisville was 5-8-1 overall in 2020 but went 4-2 during the spring portion of the season and finished second in the Atlantic Division. From 2016-19, the Cardinals racked up double-digit wins every season, including a combined 27 over 2016 and 2017.

"John Michael Hayden has put together a really strong group this year at the University of Louisville," Chastonay said. "The first thing you will notice is the speed and athleticism of their group, especially in attacking positions. We will have to be very organized and disciplined defensively. They are going to be a handful for any opponent this season."

SO FAR, SO GOOD
Bellarmine is ranked No. 3 in the Atlantic Region by the United Soccer Coaches after opening the season with two road wins. Along with the aforementioned victory at Purdue Fort Wayne, the Knights also clipped Evansville 2-1 on the road.

Louisville is expected to present the most challenging road atmosphere yet.

"Up to this point, we have responded well to playing on the road," Chastonay said. "Each environment has been a bit different, so hopefully this group can rely on those past experiences to get them through a tough place to play at Louisville."

EVEN KEEL
Bellarmine captured the top seed from the North Division in the ASUN Championship last season while going 3-1 in league play and 4-4 overall. After that success and strong results thus far this season, it would be natural for the Knights to view Friday night and its crosstown foe as another proving ground.

A key for Bellarmine may be to contain that extra bit of motivation and excitement the Knights may have.

"I think in any game we play, it's important for our guys to find the right mental place to be for the start of the game," Chastonay said. "We have a core group that has played in big games at the NCAA D2 level and now the D1 level, so hopefully they will be ready to perform."

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