LOUISVILLE, Ky.—For the second consecutive year, the Bellarmine Knights will compete in the first Division I lacrosse game of the season as they travel to Mercer to take on the Bears at noon on Saturday, Jan. 29.
 
While the Knights hope to duplicate the season-opening win, much will be different for Bellarmine in 2022. For starters, the Bears and the Knights will no longer be in the same conference as Bellarmine is transitioning to the ASUN, the league in which the majority of Bellarmine's other sports compete. Joining the Knights in the newly formed lacrosse alliance are Air Force, Utah, Cleveland State, Detroit Mercy, and Robert Morris.
 
Bellarmine Coach Andrew Whitley is entering his third year at the helm of the Knights program, and he is bullish on the 2022 season.  "Our goal every year is to reach the conference tournament, and I think that is certainly attainable," Whitley said. "I think we should be markedly better than last year."
 
"This is my third year (at Bellarmine), and I think we are poised to turn the corner," Whitley added. "We've been introducing our systems (over the past two years), and I think those are recipes for success."
 
The 2022 team will feature a number of new faces with 13 freshmen and graduate transfer Jacob Berggren. And according to Whitley, many of the new players will play key roles for the Knights in 2022.
 
"Three of our top four defenders have no (collegiate) game experience," he said to make his point, naming Max Coopman, Braden Long, and Nicholas Sheremetta as the three newcomers at the top of the defensive depth chart.
 
Despite the overall inexperience, the back side of the Bellarmine defense will be held down by proven talent. Goalie JC Higginbotham was the choice of the league coaches for the Preseason All-ASUN team, and graduate student Jon Robbins was the unanimous choice for preseason ASUN Defensive Player of the Year. Robbins enters the season creeping up several of Bellarmine's school records lists, including caused turnovers where he needs just one to tie Eric Rubak for the top spot.
 
Short stick defensive midfield duties will fall to Denton Macdonald and Harrison Pate, both of whom, Whitley said, "have the ability to be different level players."  At long stick middie, Whitley anticipates Berggren, Ben Taylor and Tommy Fialkowski to get the lion's share of the minutes.
 
On offense, three of last year's top five scorers are returning Kyle Playsted (16 G, 13A), preseason All-ASUN selection Benny O'Rourk (15 G, 5 A), and fifth-year player Luke Legnard (12 G, 6 A). In addition, Whitley said having Jesse Roth back from injury "will be big," and he is anxious to see Tayo Oladunmoye on the field in 2022.  "Tayo has made a big jump from last year to this year," he said.
 
Again, younger players are also expected to play significant minutes. "Our second line midfielders are all freshmen," Whitley said, indicating that Justin Wescoat, Benjamin Hubbs and Brennan McDermott would start the year in that role.
 
Senior Patrick Keegan (4 G, 2A last year) has moved into an attack position, alongside returners Playsted and Christian Della Rocco (9 G, 5 A).  Brayden Brown (4 G, 2 A), who is coming back from an injury that ended his 2021 season after just four games, will also be expected to contribute on the offensive end.  "Hopefully, he'll be going full-throttle sooner rather than later," Whitley said of Brown.
 
At the "X," Whitley said fifth year player J.T. Simonton would take the opening faceoff this year, but that he sees most games as being "faceoff by committee" with freshmen Cole Messick and Aidan Fearn getting opportunities at the dot.
 
Bellarmine will play a robust 16-game schedule in 2022 with the last five being ASUN Conference games.  The 16-game slate will take the Knights to nine different states: Colorado, Georgia, Kentucky, Michigan, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Virgina. 
 
With the move to the new league, another interesting twist to the schedule is that, for Bellarmine, previous years' non-conference games essentially become league contests, and vice versa. The Knights regularly squared off against Cleveland State, Detroit-Mercy, Robert Morris and Utah (Air Force was in the Southern Conference with Bellarmine). This year, games versus Mercer, High Point, Jacksonville and Virginia Military Institute will all be non-conference matchups.