LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Bellarmine University women's soccer team is hoping to once again extend its season.

At 2 p.m. (ET) Sunday, the seventh-seeded Knights (5-11-3) will take on three-seed and host Lipscomb (11-3-4) in the ASUN Championship quarterfinals. The Bisons earned a first-round bye, while the Knights advanced Thursday after knocking off sixth-seeded Austin Peay 4-3 in a penalty-kick shootout following a 1-1 draw.

The teams also met in the regular season at the Lipscomb Soccer Complex. They played to a scoreless draw in what may have been Bellarmine's best defensive effort of the season. The Bisons piled up a staggering 33 shots, but the Knights did an exceptional job of limiting attempts in and directly around the box and making sure that the majority of the opportunities on frame was manageable. Senior goalkeeper Cambria Kingman stopped all 10 shots that were on target.

Lipscomb was the 2023 ASUN regular-season champion. This year, the Bisons (7-1-3 in ASUN play) accumulated 24 points in conference action, finishing only two shy of second-place Central Arkansas and four of title winner FGCU. Their only loss in ASUN play was a 3-2 setback to UCA early in the conference calendar. The Knights will be attempting to halt the momentum of a squad that is rolling into the postseason behind four straight wins by a combined score of 11-0. The Bisons scored multiple goals in each victory.

Lipscomb's Kiara Pralle was recognized as the ASUN Player of the Year behind a conference-leading 16 goals, which is seven more than her closest competitor. Midfielder Bella Carapazza (seven assists, four goals) and defender Alivia Carapazza joined her as first-team All-ASUN selections. Defender Lucy Ream was named to the second team, and Kaina Cesar was an ASUN All-Freshman Team recipient.

Bellarmine's PK win over Austin Peay was likely a combination of exhilaration and frustration for the Knights. BU had a strong showing in shot — and quality shot — production with 24 attempts, half of which were on frame, along with manufacturing a dozen corner kicks, but its only goal came late in the second half when junior forward Lucy von Stefenelli leveled the contest with a successful PK.

However, Bellarmine delivered nothing but bull's-eyes in the PK shootout. Junior midfielder Alexa Orozco, freshman forward Campbell Tippey, sophomore forward Lauren Bingham and freshman defender Mckenzie Price all nailed their attempts. Austin Peay missed its third and fifth chances, the last of which clinched the PK win for the Knights.

Forward McKenzie Carle was acknowledged as the ASUN Freshman of the Year and first-team All-ASUN with all six of her goals coming in conference action. Senior midfielder Emma Nicholson (seven goals, six assists) and junior defender Sidney Rigsby were both second-team All-ASUN selections.

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