LOUISVILLE, Ky.—The Bellarmine lacrosse team enters a new phase of its 2017 schedule on Saturday when the Knights begin Southern Conference play at noon against Furman in Greenville, South Carolina.
 
Bellarmine, which has struggled to a 1-5 start, has battled injuries from the outset of its season, but hopes to get a fresh start against the Paladins in the first of seven straight SoCon games. 
 
The Knights, picked fourth in the preseason SoCon coaches poll, face a Furman squad that also hopes to turn its fortunes around after opening 1-6 this season. The Paladins ranked No. 6 in the SoCon preseason poll.
 
Last year, the Knights scored a 15-8 home victory over Furman as Jack Perkins led the way for Bellarmine with four goals on the day while William Holcomb matched those four scores for Furman. Both players are back this season, so look for defenses to key on those players on Saturday.
 
While Perkins and Holcomb posted strong games in last year's contest, neither is his team's leading scorer this season. For Bellarmine, that honor goes to Tucker Ciessau, comes in with 15 goals and eight assists on the season. The Paladins are led by Lou Yovino with 14 goals and an assist this season.
 
Other top producers for the Knights this season have been Perkins (11 g, 4 a) along with Andrew Schoeneck (7 g, 8 a) and Brian Wall (6 g, 4 a), who also leads the Knights with 16 ground balls on the season. 
 
The Paladins' other top offensive players include Holcomb (11 g, 1 a), Jonah Moore (6 g, 6 a) and Stephen Wierzbicki (3 g, 7 a). 
 
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