DeLAND, Fla. — With the season on the verge of slipping away, senior defender
Austin Yowell swooped in and played the role of savior.
On Saturday night in the regular-season finale at the Athletic Training Center, Yowell sank a free kick in the 89th minute to push the Bellarmine University men's soccer team to a 1-1 draw with Stetson while simultaneously sending the Knights to the ASUN Championship.
Bellarmine (5-6-4, 2-3-2 ASUN) needed the point earned in the stalemate with Stetson (4-5-6, 3-0-4) to clinch its fifth straight bid in the conference tournament. The deadlock gave the Knights eight points and a tie for sixth with Jacksonville in league action, but BU wrangled the final spot in the six-team tournament by owning the tiebreaker over the Dolphins as a result of a 2-1 win on Oct. 26.
Bellarmine's late-season surge began with that win over Jacksonville, continued with a 2-0 victory over FGCU and concluded with a resilient 1-1 draw against regular-season co-champion Stetson. It was perhaps fitting that BU's fate was not decided until the final seconds ticked off.
For Yowell, the third time was the charm. Deep in the second half, he had two superb strikes on free kicks, one headed for the right upper 90 that was batted away by the Stetson goalkeeper and another that painted the crossbar.
With a little under two minutes remaining, Yowell got another chance on a free kick from 20 yards. He snuck a low missile through the barricade of defenders and past the goalkeeper to equalize the contest. Although he's racked up seven assists in his two seasons at Bellarmine, it marked the first goal in a Knights uniform for the Preseason All-ASUN selection.
Stetson took a 1-0 lead in the 73rd minute after also scoring off a set piece. While Bellarmine was held without a shot in the first half, the Knights did get eight off in the second stanza. The shots on frame were even at four apiece, while the Hatters amassed 12 total shots.
The ASUN is expected to announce the official tournament bracket soon.
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