FLORENCE, Ala. (October 18, 2025) – The University of North Alabama soccer team will host Bellarmine on Sunday at 1 p.m. This is the final home game of the season that will recognize seven seniors.
Live stats will be available at RoarLions.com via StatBroadcast. The game will be broadcast and streamed on ESPN+ with "Voice of the Lions" Benjamin Ray and Amy Butler Bailey calling the action.
MATCHUP
North Alabama vs. Bellarmine
Sunday, Oct. 19
1 p.m.
Florence, Ala. – Cox Creek Sports Complex
2500 Chisholm Rd., Florence, AL 35630
LIVE STATS | ESPN+ | TICKETS
NOTES
SERIES HISTORY: This will be the eighth all-time meeting for the two programs dating back to 2020. The Lions are 1-3-3 against Bellarmine. This is the second time that these two have matched up twice in the same season. For three straight games in 2020 and 2021, the two combined for three straight ties. UNA's lone win came in Florence in 2023 while the two previous matchups have gone the Knights way, both 1-0. UNA lost its first ASUN game of the season to Bellarmine earlier this year. The Knights secured the win with a goal in the 88th minute. BU took 10 shots with five on target. North Alabama, at the time, allowed just its fourth goal of the season — and only its third in open play. The Lions' defense pushed five Bellarmine shots off target.
SCOUTING THE KNIGHTS: Bellarmine is 8-5-2 entering Florence for the second matchup. The last time these two met, the Knights were 7-1-2, leaving the Knights 1-4 over their previous five games – the only win coming from the game-winning goal over UNA. BU has played two matches against both Central Arkansas and Eastern Kentucky amassing only three goals while allowing 11 in that time frame. Bellarmine is 10th in goals scored in conference play with six — though they average over 15 shots per game.
ABOUT LAST GAME: UNA played ASUN opponent Eastern Kentucky to a draw for the second time this season, tying the Colonels 1-1 Thursday night at the Cox Creek Sports Complex. North Alabama finished with 12 shots, led by forwards Lexi Vernsey and Meg Welsh with three each. Welsh opened the scoring in the 42nd minute for her third goal of the season, putting her second on the team behind captain Alice Bussey, who has four. Eastern Kentucky took 14 seconds to equalize the game in Florence. The Colonels had 16 shots as nine were blocked or pushed off target by the Lion defense. The first meeting between these two came in 2021. This is now the fourth draw between the programs but the first with goals scored; the other three games were scoreless draws.
SENIOR SUNDAY: The Lions will escort seven seniors across the pitch to celebrate their career on Sunday, Oct. 19. The seven include goalkeepers Madison Vukas and Allanah Blye, forwards Alice Bussey, Olivia Heinert and Lexi Vernsey alongside midfielders Molly Parham and Emma Armstrong. The seniors accumulate 20 seasons worth of wearing a purple and white jersey — 260 games played with 192 starts for the group. Offensively they have produced 240 shots with 24 goals scored while defensively earned 152 saves. In total, these seven Lions saw 16,240 minutes of game action with Bussey, the sixth-year captain, earning 6,103 of those minutes.
REWRITE THE RECORD BOOK: Graduate goalkeeper Madison Vukas has been a stout addition to the Lion squad for this season. She has led North Alabama to seven shutouts this season and been nationally ranked in several categories. On the season, she has added 86 saves to her resume — the second-most during the Division I era currently. She trails only Payton Yates who had 97 during the 2021 season. Yates faced 273 shots that season and held a .746 save percentage while playing 1,582 minutes in goal. Vukas has two regular season games with a potential ASUN game to complete the 12 saves feat for the record.
THE FRESHIE: Freshman forward Meg Welsh has complimented the offense in multiple ways but none more than her goal scoring. After the most recent game against Eastern Kentucky, Welsh recorded her third goal to help earn the draw. She now is second on the team behind Bussey (4) in goals scored this season.
TO CONFERENCE PLAY!: The ASUN moved to two divisions ahead of the 2025 spring season, meaning teams will only play within the division during the regular season. During postseason, each division matches up with the other in the first round, including top seeds against four seeds and two seeds against three seeds. All soccer postseason games will be hosted on campus sites by the top two teams in each division.
GOLD AND GRAPHITE: The ASUN Gold Division is where North Alabama will play this season, joining Central Arkansas, Austin Peay, Bellarmine, EKU and Lipscomb. The Graphite Division includes FGCU, Jacksonville, Stetson, North Florida, West Georgia and Queens.
NEXT GAME: Following the final home game against Bellarmine, the Lions head to Conway, Ark. to complete the regular season against Central Arkansas on Saturday, Oct. 25 at the Bill Stephens Track & Soccer Complex at 1 p.m.
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
