LOUISVILLE, Ky. – A tough fourth quarter doomed the Bellarmine lacrosse team as they dropped an 8-7 decision to visiting Canisius on a frigid afternoon at Owsley B. Frazier Stadium on Saturday.
 
"This was a disappointing loss for us today," said Bellarmine head coach Andy Whitley. "We definitely had chances and didn't convert the opportunities we created."
 
A nifty behind-the-back goal by Kyle Playsted with one second left in the third put Bellarmine (1-3) up 6-5, but Canisius (1-1) scored three straight goals to start the fourth quarter to take a two-goal advantage. The Knights made a late push, getting a goal by Wilson Murphree with 2:18 left in the game to cut the deficit to one before unleashing five shots in the final minute, but the Golden Griffins held on for the win.
 
Overall, the Knights shot just 20 percent (7-for-35), their lowest percentage of the season.
 
"We are going to need to keep working on shot execution as that seems to be our biggest flaw at the moment," Whitley said. "Shooting 20 percent is below the standard we have set for ourselves."
 
Benny O'Rourk extended his scoring streak to 27 games after netting the Knights' first score of the afternoon. His streak was tied for the fourth-longest active streak in the NCAA entering play on Saturday. O'Rourk finished with two goals on the day and now has 83 goals in his career, matching Tucker Ciessau for second on Bellarmine's all-time goals list.
 
Playsted and Murphree each scored a pair of goals in addition to O'Rourk. John Alie notched a single goal, good for his team-leading 10^th tally of the season. Alie and Tayo Oladunmoye each handed out two assists.
 
JC Higginbotham saved 14 shots for Bellarmine and allowed fewer than 10 goals for the third straight game.
 
"JC Higginbotham played great today and definitely was the backbone of what I felt was a solid overall defensive effort," said Whitley. "Any time you can hold your opponent to 10 or fewer goals, you're going to give yourself a chance to win the game and they did that this afternoon."
 
The Knights were 9-0 in 2023 and started this season 1-0 in games in which they allowed 10 or fewer goals, but have now lost two straight after dropping a 10-6 contest at Ohio State on Tuesday in addition to Saturday's setback.
 
Patrick Mitchell, Kayden Easter and Jackson Webster each scored twice for the Golden Griffins. Webster has six goals through two games this season after scoring six combined goals in the previous three seasons. He also added two assists.
 
Canisius goalie Tommy Kunz made 11 saves on 18 Bellarmine shots on goal (61.1 percent) en route to the win.
 
"Canisius got some great goalie play and he definitely turned away some of our better scoring chances," said Whitley.
 
Bellarmine is now 1-2 all-time versus Canisius with the visiting team winning all three matchups.
 
With a stretch of three games in seven days behind them, Bellarmine now waits until Tuesday, Feb. 27 before they take the field next at Hampton.
 
"We've got 10 days to make the necessary improvements and then we get a chance to get back at it versus Hampton and Marist," said Whitley. "I'm confident we'll respond appropriately."
 
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