LOUISVILLE, Ky.—A strong performance at both ends of the field propelled the Bellarmine lacrosse team to an 18-7 victory at Lindenwood University on Saturday afternoon in an ASUN Conference game.
 
On the offensive end, the Knights got a seven-point outing (4 goals, 3 assists) from junior Kyle Playsted as he became the program's all-time points leader, breaking the record that was held by Tucker Ciessau, who totaled 127 points in his career.  Playsted now has 133 points as a Knight.
 
On the defensive end, Bellarmine had a very solid showing.  After the host Lions scored the game's first goal in an unsettled situation following a BU turnover, the Knights' defense pitched a shutout for the next 29 minutes and 41 seconds. 

"This was a total team win, and I could not be happier with the way the guys responded to Wednesday," said Bellarmine Head Coach Andrew Whitley. "Our defense took the last couple of games to heart and was looking to make a statement today. Denton Macdonald and Harrison Pate did what captains are supposed to do and brought a ton of energy and intensity to that end of the field and it bled into all aspects of our game today. Allowing only 26 shots and creating seven turnovers in the ride are indicators of us getting back to the Bellarmine style of defense. We preached discipline and energy the last couple of days, and our guys brought both to the defensive end today."

Facing an early 1-0 deficit and an opposing goalie who was coming up with solid saves, the Knights finally got the offense rolling. Bellarmine inched ahead 2-1 by the end of the first quarter, then steamrolled the Lions 6-0 in the second quarter to take an 8-1 lead into halftime.
 
Coming out of the break, the Knights made it a 9-0 run on a Jesse Roth goal.  The Lions finally found the scoring column at the 12:58 mark of the third quarter when they again took advantage of another unsettled situation. After the Bellarmine defense forced a loose ball and appeared to have the turnover, LU's Wesley Scurci picked up the ground ball and found teammate Cam Smith for a shot from close range.
 
The hosts then trimmed the margin to 9-3 less than two minutes later when the Lions scored on a shot that just beat the expiration of the shot clock.
 
The Knights answered LU's two-goal run in a big way, outscoring Lindenwood 9-1 over the next 18-plus minutes to extend their lead to 18-4. The Lions scored the final three goals of the game to make the final margin 11.

"Our offense continues to share the ball and as a result, we get contributions from a lot of different guys," Whitley said. "We are certainly led by our attack, and those guys do a great job of getting the ball to the hot hand and letting him do his thing. We worked on shooting the last couple of days and once we got settled into the game in the second quarter, we shot 16/37 (43%) over the final three quarters against a good goalie."

In addition to Playsted's big day, senior Benny O'Rourk continued to put up strong numbers this season with a hat trick and a pair of assists for five points. Macdonald was impressive on both ends of the field, chalking up two goals on two shots while collecting four ground balls and causing a turnover. In all, 13 different Knights registered at least one point. 

"I couldn't be happier for Kyle," Whitley said. "To break the career point record at a Division 1 program at any point in one's career is a major accomplishment. To do it in the middle of your junior year is an astonishing achievement. He is a tireless worker who spends countless hours working on his craft and is certainly deserving of the accolades he receives. I do believe at some point he will make a PLL or NLL coach look really smart, but I'm extremely happy he'll be a part of our program for a while longer!"

Sophomore Dante Batista got the start in goal for the Knights and picked up his first collegiate win after making seven saves. Also contributing a strong defensive effort was Nicholas Sheremetta with five ground balls and two caused turnovers.  Freshman Grant Guthrie, meanwhile, had a solid day at the faceoff dot, going 13 for 25 and collecting nine ground balls.

With the win, Bellarmine evens its ASUN record at 2-2 while improving to 7-3 overall.
 
The Knights return home to Owsley B. Frazier Stadium for their next game, which is on Saturday, April 8 at noon against Air Force.  The Falcons improved to 7-4, 4-1 ASUN with a 12-9 victory over Cleveland State today.