LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Bellarmine field hockey dropped its first home game of the weekend against Ball State by a final score of 2-0 on Friday afternoon.
The Knights (4-10, 2-3 MAC) entered the day tied for fourth place in the Mid-American Conference standings, while Ball State (7-6, 4-1 MAC) was tied for second place. Just two conference matches remain the rest of the season.
Starting in the first period, both teams applied pressure, but Ball State was able to generate five shots compared to Bellarmine's one. The Cardinals started to pile up penalty corners midway through the second period and eventually cashed in on their fifth corner of the match. Michaela Graney stepped to her left and fired a shot into the cage to give BSU a 1-0 lead with under seven minutes left in the first half.
The Knights came out in the second half with consistent strings of possession but were unable to find many clean chances on goal.
Julia Doornebos took Bellarmine's lone shot of the third period just over five minutes into the second half. Ball State then picked up a key insurance goal thanks to leading scorer Fleur Knopert. After receiving a pass at midfield, Knopert sprinted to just left of cage and scored her ninth goal of the season to give Ball State a 2-0 advantage.
Bellarmine's best offensive period came in the fourth quarter when the Knights out-shot Ball State 4-2.
Anna Crump had two good looks at goal, along with
Bente Moormann, but Bellarmine was unable to capitalize.
Ball State out-shot Bellarmine 15-7 for the game and 8-5 in shots on goal. The Cardinals also held an 8-3 advantage in penalty corners.
Danni Swallow played the first three quarters in goal for Bellarmine and made four saves, while
Kailey Workman played the final 15 minutes and recorded two saves.
Bellarmine continues its four-match homestand on Sunday when the Knights host no. 24 Duke at Trager Stadium. Start time is scheduled for 11:00 a.m., and the action can be viewed on BU Knights Sports Network.
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