LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The well-rested Bellarmine University men's soccer team is preparing for two games this week after a week-plus layoff.
Bellarmine (2-4-3, 0-2-1 ASUN) will host nonconference opponent IU Indianapolis (4-5-3) at 3 p.m. (ET) Tuesday at Owsley B. Frazier Stadium before traveling to North Florida (4-5-3, 2-1-1) for an Atlantic Sun Conference clash at 7 p.m. Saturday.
Bellarmine has been off since Oct. 5. The Knights' ASUN home match last Saturday against FGCU was postponed due to travel complications for the Eagles as a result of the hurricane.
ABOUT IU INDIANAPOLIS
IU Indianapolis may sound like an entirely new opponent — or it could sound familiar as possibly Bellarmine's former GLVC rival, the University of Indianapolis, or perhaps IUPUI. For athletics purposes, it's the latter, as IUPUI officially split into two universities — IU Indianapolis and Purdue University in Indianapolis — in July, but IU Indianapolis assumed control of what was IUPUI athletics. The team is still the Jaguars and remains in the Horizon League, and they're meeting the Knights for a fourth straight season, with Bellarmine holding a 1-0-2 edge, with draws of 0-0 and 1-1 in the last two contests. The Jaguars are coming off a 2-1 conference loss Saturday at Cleveland State, preceding that with a scoreless draw against Butler and a 1-0 league win over Detroit Mercy. Jose Antonio Herrera has recorded five goals for IU Indy.
ABOUT NORTH FLORIDA
North Florida has gotten off to an exceptional start in ASUN play. The Ospreys, who play a nonconference match Wednesday at College of Charleston, notched a 2-1 road win at defending ASUN regular season and tournament champion Lipscomb. UNF has also posted a 4-3 home win over Jacksonville and 2-2 draw at FGCU. Joaquin Acuna tallied both goals against Lipscomb and is tied with David Perez with four goals each.
LAST TIME OUT
It seems like an eternity ago, but that aforementioned Oct. 5 game resulted in a scoreless draw between Bellarmine and Queens in ASUN action. That's the only contest the Knights have played this month. After amassing eight goals in a nonconference romp at Southern Indiana, Bellarmine has been shut out in its last three games, all league matchups. Now completely fresh, the Knights will look to end that string of futility against IU Indianapolis and look to build momentum into its weekend showdown with North Florida.
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