MILWAUKEE, Wisc.—The Bellarmine lacrosse team repelled a valiant Marquette comeback attempt by getting a Golden Eagle turnover with just over a minute remaining then killing the remainder of the clock to hang on for an 11-10 nonconference victory today at Valley Fields.
 
It looked as if the Knights were cruising to a comfortable win after a 5-0 run in the third quarter gave them a 10-4 advantage.  However, Marquette scratched out a late score in the period, then opened the fourth quarter on a roll, outscoring the visitors 6-1 in the final 15 minutes. The lone BU goal in the quarter—scored by Jesse Roth—came early in period but proved to be all the cushion the Knights needed. 
 
With the Golden Eagles soaring back into contention, an important insurance goal for Bellarmine was waved off with 2:10 remaining for a crease violation. However, neither team was able to score the rest of the way as Bellarmine extended its win streak to five games, the longest since the 2008 season, and improves to 5-1 on the season.
 
"I'm really happy for our players and coaches," said Bellarmine Coach Andrew Whitley. "This was a hard fought, regional rivalry, playoff-like lacrosse game between two tough, physical teams. I told our guys that you are not going to go on the road against a quality opponent who will compete for their conference championship and not get a Herculean effort from them down the stretch. The fact that we battled and were able to make winning plays under duress in that hostile environment down the stretch is a credit to our evolution and maturity as a program."
 
It was another 5-point day for preseason All-ASUN selection Benny O'Rourk. The senior midfielder matched his career high with four goals while also dishing out one assist.  Four-point days were recorded by both Pat Anderson and Kyle Playsted, who each tallied a goal and three assists.
 
"Benny and Kyle continue to pace our offense, making big plays in big spots," Whitley said, adding the Knights also "got some big efforts from Pat Anderson and Jesse Roth who made big plays when we needed them."   Whitley said the team's willingness to share the ball—as evidenced by nine assists on 11 goals—is a key to Bellarmine's offense.
 
Playsted moved into second place on the BU's all-time points list.  His four points today give him 107 for his career, which passes Landon Trout's 105 points.  Tucker Ciessau remains number one on the list for BU. Bellarmine goalie JC Higginbotham also reached a milestone in today's game, becoming just the second goalie in program history to reach 400 saves. His seven-save day gives him 406 in his career, trailing only Dillon Ward on the all-time saves list.
 
Despite the explosive scoring in the third quarter by Bellarmine and in the fourth quarter by Marquette, the first half was a low-scoring affair with the Knights taking a 4-2 lead into halftime. Marquette recorded the game's first score after a near turnover by Marquette ended up in transition goal for the Golden Eagles. The Knights answered with O'Rourk's first goal then took a 2-1 lead as Tayo Oladunmoye converted on an extra man opportunity early in the second period. Roth then made it a 3-0 run for Bellarmine with his first goal of the game.  The teams traded scores in the half's final two and a half minutes to make it 4-2 at the break.
 
Marquette (3-3) grabbed the early momentum in the third quarter, getting within one (5-4) with 10:38 remaining in the third.  Bellarmine quickly snatched the momentum by scoring five in a row over the next nine minutes.  A score by Marquette with just eight seconds remaining in the third seemed to ignite the Golden Eagles' offense as they unleashed the fourth quarter comeback.
 
"Marquette did a terrific job mixing defenses," Whitley said, "and it was a credit to our guys that they displayed patience and consistency as Marquette bounced between man and zone. That level of discipline will carry us a long way in conference play."
 
Whitley said it was his own team's defense that made the difference in the end.  "I continue to say we are a defense-driven program, so when Christian Della Rocco was called in the crease with about two minutes to go, I knew the lacrosse gods were going to make us win a tough, competitive game on the road at the defensive end. It is a credit to our kids that they dug in defensively, made a stop, got the ball to the offensive end and ran the clock out. That's how playoff lacrosse games are won, and it's great to watch our guys battle through those moments and learn how to win those types of games."
 
Final statistics reflect how close a match the game was.  Both teams were credited with 34 shots; both came up with 25 ground balls, and both committed 17 turnovers.  Beyond the stats that were even, the other categories were also close.  Marquette owned a 13-12 edge in faceoffs while Bellarmine was slightly better in clears (17 of 20 compared to 17 of 21 for MU). 
 
Today's game was Bellarmine's final nonconference contest of the season.  The Knights open their ASUN slate next week at preseason favorite Utah.  The Utes were the runners-up in last year's ASUN tournament and have opened the year 1-4 while playing a highly competitive nonconference schedule.
 
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