LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Bellarmine University men's soccer team's final ASUN challenge of the 2022 regular season is expected to be its most difficult.
At 8 p.m. (ET) Tuesday, Bellarmine (6-3-6, 2-2-3 ASUN) will square off with 12th-ranked Lipscomb (11-2-2, 6-1) at the Lipscomb Soccer Complex.
Heading into the regular-season finale, Lipscomb has already clinched the top seed in the ASUN Tournament. The Bisons earned the one-seed last season as well and went on to capture the title.
Bellarmine has also secured a berth in the ASUN Tournament. The squads in the six-team field are set but the seeding is not with the exception of Lipscomb at one and Central Arkansas at two. The Knights could earn as high as the four-seed.
Bellarmine and Lipscomb will be meeting for the fourth time in the Division-I era. The Knights swept the two matches in the spring of 2021, 1-0 on the road and 2-1 in double overtime at home, but the Bisons won last season's contest, 2-1 in overtime, in Louisville.
Lipscomb was a consensus pick to repeat as conference champion in the preseason coaches' poll, and the Bisons have done nothing to dispel that notion. They are the ASUN leader in scoring (2.3 goals per game) and defense (0.73 goals-against average).
Lipscomb's Jelldrik Dallmann leads the ASUN in goals scored with 11 while Hayes Wood is tied for second with seven. Malachi Jones is tied for fourth with six. Noah Gulden, the ASUN Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, is the league leader in assists with eight. Michael Sibley was the ASUN Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year and has tallied six shutouts and a 0.74 goals-against average.
Bellarmine has increased its Division I-era program-record unbeaten streak to nine. The stretch started with four wins, but the last five outcomes have been draws. The Knights clinched their ASUN Tournament berth with the point earned from Saturday's scoreless stalemate against Queens.
Defense has continued to be Bellarmine's calling card. The Knights have not conceded more than one goal over their last 10 matches. Bellarmine is tied for first in the ASUN with Lipscomb in shutouts (seven) and ranks second to the Bisons in goals-against average (0.80).
Bellarmine is 1-1-1 this season in ASUN road games. The Knights are 2-2-1 overall on the road.
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