LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Following three road games to start their 2024 campaign, the Bellarmine lacrosse team is set to host the first of their eight home games this Saturday as they welcome Canisius to Owsley B. Frazier Stadium at noon ET.
 
Gates open at 11 a.m. ET and tickets will be available for $6.
 
"Our guys are excited for our home opener and this game will conclude a three games in seven days stretch for us," said Bellarmine head coach Andy Whitley. "I have been very pleased with the progress we have made in the early season and we are looking forward to showcasing that progress to our home fans on Saturday."
 
The Knights' first win of the season, a 13-9 victory over St. Bonaventure, was sandwiched by games against power conference teams. Bellarmine fell to defending national runner-up Duke 20-12 during the opening weekend and lost 10-6 Tuesday at Ohio State, who is the first team listed as receiving votes in both the USILA coaches poll and Inside Lacrosse poll.
 
Through three games, a trio of Knights have accounted for over 50 percent of the team's points. Sophomore attackman John Alie is the top goal scorer through three games with nine goals, plus three assists. ASUN Preseason Player of the Year Kyle Playsted has scored six times and assisted on two. Fifth-year senior Benny O'Rourk has scored four times and handed out three assists. They have combined for 27 of Bellarmine's 53 points.
 
"John Alie, Benny O'Rourk and Kyle Playsted have paced the offense, but we are also getting production from a bunch of different players and that will become increasingly important as the season moves along," said Whitley. "We do need to shoot the ball a little bit better than we have at the outset and that will be a point of emphasis the rest of this week as we head into Saturday."
 
As a team, Bellarmine has connected on 27 percent of their shots. Last year that number sat at 33 percent.
 
On the defensive side, the Knights bounced back from the 20-goal trouncing at Duke to allow just 19 goals over the past two games.
 
"Our defense continues to be a strength of ours and I have been pleased with their progress through three games," Whitley added. "Brady Long, Christopher Reynolds and Denton Macdonald are at the top of the caused turnovers list and are making the type of impact we were hoping for when the season began. Jackson Campisano has been a pleasant surprise thus far particularly in the middle of the field and on faceoff wings."
 
A freshman, Campisano is second on the team with five caused turnovers and eight groundballs. His five groundballs against St. Bonaventure are tied for the second-most by a Knight in a single game this season behind Macdonald's six, also against the Bonnies.
 
Canisius comes to Louisville at 0-1 following a 21-5 loss on Tuesday to No. 13/14 Michigan in Ann Arbor in which they trailed 10-1 after the first quarter. Midfielder Jackson Webster scored four of the Golden Griffins' five tallies on seven shots. The senior had scored six goals combined in the previous three seasons before Tuesday.
 
Bellarmine and Canisius have split their previous two matchups. The Knights defeated the Golden Griffins last year in Buffalo 14-4. O'Rourk scored four goals and Playsted dished out three assists while Jacob Berggren scooped up seven groundballs and JC Higginbotham made nine saves.
 
Canisius walked out 13-11 victors in the teams' only meeting in Louisville on Feb. 19, 2022. Justin Wescoat and Jesse Roth recorded hat tricks for the Knights. Colin Kelly scored three times for Canisius. He led his team with 29 goals as a freshman and 41 goals as a sophomore, but transferred to Rutgers for his junior season in 2024.
 
Senior attackman Keegan Kozack is the leading returning scorer for the Golden Griffins. He has increased goal production from 19 as a freshman to 23 as a sophomore to 25 last year as a junior. He scored the only other goal against Michigan.
 
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