MILWAUKEE—The No. 19 Marquette Golden Eagles stormed out of the gates, scoring three times in the game's first two minutes, and the Bellarmine Knights never fully recovered as the host team went on to claim a 15-9 victory under the dome at Valley Fields.
 
After the quick onslaught by the Eagles, Bellarmine responded with two goals by Landon Trout, but Marquette closed the first quarter on a 5-0 run to lead 7-2 after the opening 15 minutes.
 
Bellarmine coach Jim Mitchell said the hot start was just too much for the Knights to overcome. "They came out and punched us in the mouth, and it took too long for us to fight back," he said.
 
Mitchell added that the game will be a learning opportunity for his team. "We played a tough and experienced team that is strong in all positions," he said. "We will continue to improve and learn from these opportunities to compete against a high level of competition."
 
Marquette, which was making its season debut, got contributions from a variety of players on the offensive end with 11 different players registering goals.  Four players—Peter Henkhaus, Tanner Thomson, Anthony Orsini, and John Wagner—each netted two scores for the Golden Eagles.
 
Bellarmine was paced by Trout who added an assist to his two early goals, and Stephen Votto matched that output with two goals and an assist. Junior co-captain Morgan Macko also totaled three points for the Knights with two assists and a goal. 
 
Notching two points apiece for Bellarmine were freshman Riley Seay with two goals and Luke Legnard with a goal and an assist.  Also hitting the scoring column for the Knights were Brayden Brown with an assist and Ian Miller with a goal.
 
Junior goalie Jordan Dondoyano came on in the second quarter and had a strong outing for the Knights, recording 10 saves and stopping 55.6 percent of the Golden Eagles' shots.
 
Marquette's offensive prowess today was fueled by success at the faceoff "X" and with early strikes in their offensive possessions. The Golden Eagles won 19 of 28 faceoffs and scored five of their goals in transition.  
 
Bellarmine found itself on the short end of the ledger in most statistical categories, but owned an 11-8 advantage in saves. The Golden Eagles outshot the Knights 47-31 and held a 35-16 advantage in ground balls, thanks in large part to their dominance in faceoffs.
 
The Knights, which fall to 0-2 on the season, return to action next Saturday when they travel to Cleveland, Ohio to take on the Vikings of Cleveland State.  Opening faceoff is scheduled for 11 a.m.
 
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BOX SCORE (HTM)