The Lindenwood field hockey team picked up a crucial 3-1 victory over conference-rival Bellarmine on Saturday in Louisville, Ky. With the win, the Lady Lions share the top spot in the ECAC standings with Limestone with 3-1 records.
 
In the beginning of the first half, the Knights put tons of pressure on the Lady Lion defense. Thankfully with the help of Skylar Starbeck in goal and defenders like Amelia Rodriguez and Shelby Easley, the Lady Lions denied the Knights any chance of converting shots into goals. Not even a minute into the game, Anna O'Toole of the Knights shot twice within two seconds, but Starbeck stopped the first shot while Virginie Leyssens collected the defensive save.
 
At the 5:43 mark, Bellarmine garnered the first corner attempt of the game which nearly transitioned into a score from Katherine Schneidtmiller, but Starbeck saved her second shot of the game. Without much of a chance to get offensive opportunities, the Lady Lions continued playing its physical defense by fending off Knight forwards from getting many shots off. At the 9:54 mark, Kelsey O'Bryan of the Knights attempted a shot close to the defensive circle, but the shot was blocked. The Lady Lions also gave zero avenues to the Knights to get off another shot when they had their second corner chance.
 
Starting at the 17:02 mark, the Lady Lions applied some pressure on the Knights behind the aggressive shooting from Graycen Dave and Tara Robben. Dave found a look towards the goal, but Knights goalie Heather Gregory batted the ball away that eventually led to a corner attempt for Megan Pranger. Eight seconds later, Robben hit her first shot of the game, but was saved by Gregory.
 
However, the Knights gained some momentum on offense that kept Starbeck and the Lady Lion defense busy starting at the 20:26 mark. O'Toole slung a shot towards the goal that allowed Starbeck to record her third save of the game. After their third corner chance at 21:41, the Knights gave another scare against the Lady Lion defense with another shot on goal, but Starbeck kept up her remarkable performance in the goal with her fourth save.
 
Then Greta Banholzer said enough with the scoreless game. At the 25:13 mark, Banholzer crowded around the goal post and shot at Gregory that was saved. Banholzer persistently kept up her aggression and shot off the rebounding save right into the net for the first goal of the day and the Lady Lions' 1-0 lead.
 
However, the Knights retaliated a few minutes later. After receiving a yellow card, the Knights collected their first goal of the season off a 5-yard shot from Schneidtmiller at the 28:49 mark. Both teams would exchange possessions for the rest of the half with the Knights receiving two more corner chances, and that was it.
 
In the second half, the Lady Lions got the first opportunity on offense when Leyssens started a play off with a corner at the 40:40 mark. Just 13 seconds later, Savannah Motley released a shot that went just wide. Five minutes later, a similar opportunity ensued with Leyssens beginning the play from the corner. She passed to Robben who then dished to Noor Fons. Fons tapped the ball into the open side of the goal for her fourth goal of the season and Lady Lions' 2-1 lead.
 
The Lady Lions took the ball right back immediately in which led to an opportunity for Bridget Hoogendijk on offense. She shot the ball but went wide right. The Knights swung right back into applying pressure on the Lady Lion defense starting at the 56:00 mark when O'Toole first shot right at Starbeck. Nine seconds later, Schneidtmiller went for another shot, but was not close to the goal. Nearly two minutes later, Starbeck collected her sixth save after Bryan nearly tied the game up. Starbeck piled up more on her big day with two more saves at the 60:59 and the 62:13 marks.
 
After the various defensive stops, the Lady Lions made the Knights pay as Robben lingered around the cage, took a pass from Chloe Bell, and poked the ball right into the goal for her team-leading 11th goal of the season.
 
The Knights attempted one last stand on offense when they got a corner chance at the 66:45 mark. Alex Ginter of the Knights tried a shot of her own, but once again, Starbeck saved it to ice the game.
 
Starbeck's nine saves marked as a career-high for her as she now has recorded 37 for the season. While facing 15 shots, Starbeck's .900 saving percentage improved her season percentage to .755 and lowered her goals-against-average down to 2.06 on the year. Robben's one goal and one assist for the day was the third time she's recorded those numbers in a game this season. Banholzer scored her fifth goal of the season which ranks second on the team while Fons' goal ties for the third with Hoogendijk.
 
Bellarmine had higher numbers on offense, but that goes to show how stout the Lady Lion defense performed. The Knights shot 12 on goal in which the Lady Lions saved 11 of them. Rodriguez and Leyssens recorded a defensive save each.
 
After the victory, the Lady Lions improve their overall record to 7-2 as they will face St. Thomas Aquinas in a neutral-sited game in Louisville on Sunday at 11 am CT.