LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Kevin Burns readily conceded that his Bellarmine University lacrosse team was at a crossroads, and the Knights' head coach didn't know which direction his squad would travel.

The tenuous nature of his club came at the end of March last season after the Division I Knights had dropped all four of their Eastern College Athletic Conference games. While competitive in the first three, BU lost its conference finale 9-3 to Fairfield at Owsley B. Frazier Stadium. It was by far the Knights' lowest scoring effort of the season and underscored the disheartening fact that there would be no appearance in the conference tournament.

Four nonconference games were still left to play. Burns wondered how the Knights would react — with their postseason hopes dashed, would their drive to succeed waver? Similar circumstances occurred the previous season when the Knights, disappointed with a playoff absence, couldn't halt a late slide and ended a still-solid 7-7 campaign with five straight losses. This time around, BU did indeed look ahead to 2015 after the skid, but the Knights did so to push themselves over the final month.

"The guys returning knew we were going to play a lot of this year's conference teams in those last four games," noted senior midfielder and co-captain Ryan Scinta. "We wanted to do our best against those teams and show them what they were in for this year. We wanted to end the year on a good note."

The result of that ambition was three victories in four games to finish 7-5, Bellarmine's first winning season since 2010. The lone loss in that span was a highly competitive 12-8 setback to No. 8 Virginia in a performance that Burns believed was the Knights' best of the season.

"The leadership really stepped up, and a lot of those guys are the same guys we have this year," said Burns, who is entering his fourth season. "I was very proud of the guys. We responded and did very well in the entire month of April."

All of which has led to heightened expectations this season. Bellarmine has transitioned to the Southern Conference, and the Knights were selected by the conference's coaches as the preseason favorite to win the league. BU went 4-0 last season in games against current SoCon teams.

"I do think that gives us a little bit of extra motivation because we know we'll be a team others are gunning for," Burns said. "We've really tried and the guys have done a really good job of just focusing in on their next game. During games, if you take care of that next play, the score at the end of the game will take care of itself. It's just like that for the season: If we just worry about taking care of business in the next game, all of the other accomplishments and goals will take care of themselves."

Burns has a new defensive coordinator in Kevin McKeown and a new offensive coordinator in Jay Sothoron. BU has implemented new strategies, and Burns made it a point to avoid giving McKeown and Sothoron any preconceived notions about the Knights and wanted them to perform their own evaluations and draw their own conclusions.

"They've been doing a great job," Burns said. "I feel like we're just starting to really click now. We have new systems for both ends, and Kevin and Jay were figuring out what players we had and what pieces to put in certain spots. After working with them for a few months, the players are more comfortable with the systems, the coaches are more comfortable with the players and how they fit into the system. There's a new air of excitement because we'll go out and see how we fare with our new philosophies."

Every season comes with its share of hurdles to overcome, and Bellarmine has already been dealt one big obstacle with the loss of All-American Bobby Schmitt to a season-ending injury. The senior long stick midfielder was selected as the ECAC's Lacrosse Specialist of the Year last season and is a co-captain on the Knights.

"You can't replace an All-American like that easily," Burns said. "It's not just his on-the-field performance; it's his leadership as well. He brought so much leadership to the field, like a general out there for us."

Junior long stick middie Taylor Stuart (13 ground balls, two goals, two assists in 2014) played in every game last season and will help to fill the void. The Knights will also look to junior Chris Cousins and freshman Evan Kalish.

"Taylor is a very good offensive threat and he's good at covering guys. He brings speed and quickness," Burns said. "Evan brings strength and physicality to that position. Chris brings a lot of headiness and really knows what we're trying to accomplish out there."

Scinta (13 goals, 10 assists, 11 ground balls) has been a cornerstone in the midfield for Bellarmine. Senior co-captain Brogan Hill (three goals, two assists, 12 ground balls) and fellow seniors Nate Blue and Daniel Zamora (four goals, five assists, eight ground balls) add further seasoning to the midfield, and the Knights will also depend on sophomores Jack Perkins and Tanner Barco and freshman Brian Wall.

"Ryan is an all-around great player for us and has been for four years. He's an anchor," Burns said. "Brogan's a great downhill dodger and a really tough player. Brogan and Ryan bring a lot of versatility and flexibility to the table. A key to our success will be their consistency.

"Jack is deceivingly quick for his size (6-foot-4, 225 pounds). He's learned how to use his physical presence to knock guys off a line and get to the spots we need him to get to. Tanner has played everywhere for us. He's the antithesis of Jack. He's small and extremely quick, but with an excellent shot. He won't back down. Nate has a lot of the same skill set as Ryan and Brogan. It's funny how similar a lot of our seniors are. Daniel is a physical player who is versatile and tough as nails. Brian has a great skill set and is a smart, heady player."

Bellarmine lost a pair of accomplished goal scorers to graduation in Chad Mitchell and Cameron Gardner, who were selected back-to-back in the fifth round of the 2014 National Lacrosse League Draft. Gardner finished his career third on the school's all-time goals list with 71 and fourth on the points list with 92. Mitchell had a breakthrough senior season in which he led the Knights in points with 32 on the strength of a team-best 14 assists and 18 goals.

That doesn't mean Bellarmine is absent of playmakers. Sophomore attack Tucker Ciessau made the ECAC All-Rookie squad last season after registering a team-best 24 goals with seven assists and 24 ground balls, while sophomore Austin Shanks was also a high-impact freshman who tallied 22 goals and seven assists. Shanks was chosen as a preseason All-SoCon selection.

"I think Tucker has gotten even better this year. He's able to do some things he couldn't do before," Burns said. "Austin is a great finisher. Tucker is a lefty and Austin is a righty. They complement each other in a lot of regards."

Senior Dylan Gatt, junior Paul Garcia and freshmen Andrew Schoeneck and Austin Streeter beef up Bellarmine's attack unit.

"I like the rotation of guys we've been using," Burns said. "Dylan is terrific in scramble situations and ground balls. He has a great handle and finish and brings savviness to the position. Paul is very consistent. He brings a calming effect to the whole team and pound for pound is probably the strongest guy on the team. Andrew has one of the best sticks on the team and excellent vision. Austin is an athletic dodger. He's learning a lot of the nuances of the spot, but his upside is huge."

Another veteran presence on the Knights comes in the form of senior Reid Wesley (14 ground balls), a short stick defensive middie. Bolstering that position is junior Michael Plisco, sophomore Matt Taulane and freshman Nick King.

"Reid has played the position for three years and been consistent with it," Burns said. "Michael is very intelligent on the defensive end and knows exactly what is going on. Matt is probably the best athlete on the team, and not many people are going to be able to run by him on defense. Nick is a fast guy, but he's big. He'll be in the mix."

Senior co-captain Colin Hart (17 ground balls, 11 caused turnovers) will be the bedrock of Bellarmine's defense protecting the net and is a preseason All-SoCon pick. Junior Shane Healey (17 ground balls, 13 caused turnovers) started every game last season. Senior Bradley Davis, sophomores Kevin Fahey and Dylan Sprock, and freshman Nick Buckley will help to solidify the defense.

"I think Colin is one of the better defenders in the country and the ultimate competitor. He'll be tasked with the top guy on probably every single team," Burns said. "Shane is very consistent and a great off-ball player. He's a competitor like Colin. Brad is by far the best communicator on the team. Kevin has made a huge leap. He's become a top cover guy. Dylan is a good all-around player who gives us depth. Nick has all the tools and just has to put them together in the college game."

Burns can't help but chuckle when considering the guardians of the net. Those accustomed to Bellarmine lacrosse probably can't help but envision anything other than goalkeepers who are towering figures, as All-American Dillon Ward and 2014 starter Will Haas both stood 6-5. Freshman Drew Goethals is the polar opposite at 5-7 and is in a three-way battle for the position with 5-10 senior Hayden Miller and 6-1 fellow freshman Hayden Walsh.

"Ultimately, just stopping the ball, Drew has done a really good job of that," Burns said. "Hayden Miller has been consistent and has the most experience in the clearing game. Hayden Walsh comes from a really good high school program (The Hill Academy in Ontario) and is battle-tested."

In the face-off game, Bellarmine will rely heavily on senior Grant Beczkalo, who won 19 of them last season, sophomore Tyler Nangle, who won 15, and freshmen Connor Harryman and Jace Thomas.

"All four of those guys will be in the mix as the year goes on," Burns said. "Grant is definitely one of the smartest guys on the team as far as lacrosse IQ. Connor is athletic with quick hands. Tyler hustles and is a good technique guy. Jace might have the quickest hands out of everybody."

Senior attack Ben Charpentier, who played in 11 games last season, is back along with senior midfielder Jay Desnoyers and junior defenders Nick Soriano and Cole Killion. In addition, the Knights carry sophomores Kevin Sims (midfield), Graham Macko (attack/midfield) and Gabe Keding (defense) along with freshmen Will Roshkowski (midfield) and Eric Liddy (midfield).

Bellarmine will open the regular season on Saturday at Michigan. The Knights will square off with the Wolverines at 1 p.m. (ET). BU will make its home debut in the Midwest Classic Lacrosse Weekend by hosting Ohio State on Feb. 27.

Ciessau said the Knights have been eagerly anticipating their opener and that practices have been spirited and intense with players intent on proving themselves.

"This year has been crazy because there are so many guys fighting for the top spots," he said, "and the competition is making everyone better."

2015 Bellarmine Lacrosse Roster
2015 Bellarmine Lacrosse Schedule
2014 Results
2014 Statistics