LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Bellarmine University men's soccer team claimed much more than just a 3-2 victory over Stetson on Saturday night in ASUN action in Owsley B. Frazier Stadium.
By triumphing over the Hatters (6-6-4, 3-2-2 ASUN) in their regular-season finale, the Knights (5-4-6, 3-2-2) also captured the two-seed and a bye into the semifinals, which they will host, in the ASUN Tournament.
Bellarmine and Stetson tied for second in the league with 11 points, but the Knights owned the deciding tiebreaker with the head-to-head victory.
Freshman forward
Alex Halevy scored the first two goals of his collegiate career, and senior midfielder
Jack Fischer recorded his third goal of the season for Bellarmine. The latter proved to be crucial insurance — and ultimately the game-winner — after Stetson rallied back to cut its deficit to one with over 26 minutes left after facing a 3-0 hole.
Freshman midfielder
Calle Sjoberg collected an assist for Bellarmine, which will be making its fourth straight trip to the ASUN Tournament since joining the conference and the Division-I ranks. The Knights were also a semifinalist in their three previous appearances.
On a night in which Bellarmine honored 18 seniors, the Knights raced out to a 3-0 lead. Stetson was called for a handball in the box in the 29th minute, and Halevy converted on the ensuing penalty kick.
After notching his first collegiate goal, Halevy wasted little time in tallying his second. In the 34th minute, he had an initial shot from close range stopped, but he rammed the rebound into the net for the brace.
Bellarmine led 2-0 at break, and the Knights boosted their advantage to 3-0 only 34 seconds into the second half. Fischer laced a shot inside the right post off a pass from Sjoberg. All three of his goals this season have come in ASUN play.
Bellarmine certainly didn't run away with the contest. The Knights were called for a handball in the box in the 57th minute, and Luis Lara capitalized on the penalty kick for Stetson.
Playing a man down after a red card, Bellarmine saw its lead slip to one after Andres Mata buried a shot from distance in the 64th minute. However, the numbers on the field evened back up in the 79th minute when a Hatter received an automatic red card after being issued his second yellow card.
In addition to the two reds, there were a slew of yellow cards, and the intensity and intrigue of the match lasted until literally the final whistle. Stetson was awarded a free kick a few yards outside the box with only seconds remaining, but the Knights stuffed the ensuing shot, triggering a delirious celebration.
Bellarmine entered the match needing at least a draw to gain entrance into the six-team ASUN Tournament. If things had went sideways against Stetson, the Knights wouldn't have secured a bid, and yet on a wild day in conference play they rose up all the way to the two-seed.
Stetson finished with a 15-9 advantage in shots, largely due to a 12-4 differential in the second half when Bellarmine was protecting its lead. The Knights had a 6-5 edge on frame.
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