LOUISVILLE, Ky. —  The Bellarmine field hockey team will round out its home slate this weekend with matches against Ohio and no. 18 Ohio State at Trager Stadium.
 
The Knights (4-11, 2-3 MAC) face Ohio on Friday (7-7, 2-3 MAC) at 1:00 p.m. and take on Ohio State (8-6, 2-4 B10) at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday. 
 
The non-conference meeting with Ohio State also marks Senior Day for Bellarmine – the Knights will honor nine seniors prior to the game:  Kennedy DeDario, Julia Doornebos, Grace Dukes, Amber Hofenk Jerembo, Katie Kimery, Jensen Kitrel, Alexa Rastigue, Lindsay Sturgeon, and manager Amber Downs.
 
Last weekend, the Knights fell in a pair of home matches to Ball State (2-0) and no. 24 Duke.  While Bellarmine lost to the Blue Devils, they turned in a strong performance against a ranked opponent.  The Knights were tied with Duke 1-1 until the late stages of the third quarter.  Peyton Hobson scored the lone goal for Bellarmine that day.
 
Bellarmine is currently tied for fifth place out of eight teams in the MAC standings, and only the top four qualify for the MAC Tournament.  The Bobcats are tied with Bellarmine, making Friday's matchup even more critical.
 
Ohio enters off two consecutive victories, defeating Saint Francis (2-0) and Central Michigan (2-0).  The Bobcats had previously lost five straight – three of which came by one goal.  In this matchup last year, Ohio bested Bellarmine 5-4 in overtime in Athens, Ohio.  Bellarmine took a 4-1 lead into halftime, but Ohio rallied for the win.  Anna Crump and Julia Doornebos each scored twice in that game for Bellarmine last year.
 
This season, Ohio is led by Mijntje Ligtenberg with seven goals and seven assists.  As a team, the Bobcats rank second in the conference in total shots (186).  Bellarmine's Amber Hofenk Jerembo ranks second in the MAC with 11 goals and 27 shots on goal, while Marit van der Bend, Peyton Hobson, and Bente Moormann all have a team-best four assists.
 
Ohio State has played its best field hockey in October, winning five of its last six matches.  The Buckeyes won five in a row over Michigan State, Kent State, Central Michigan, Ohio, and no. 8 Iowa before falling to no. 3 Northwestern by a finals score of 2-1 in overtime on Sunday.  Sarah Charley is OSU's top goal scorer with nine this season, while the team has totaled 36.  Ohio State faces Indiana on Friday before Sunday's game against the Knights.

Both games this weekend can be viewed on BU Knights Sports Network.

For more coverage of Bellarmine athletics, follow us on Twitter (@BUKnights), Instagram (BUKnights), and Facebook (BUKnights).