LOUISVILLE, Ky. – A 7-0 second quarter for the Bellarmine lacrosse team helped them race past Marquette Saturday afternoon at Owsley B. Frazier Stadium by an 11-5 final.
 
"This is a big win for our program," said Bellarmine head coach Andy Whitley. "That second quarter was extraordinary. That may be as complete a quarter of lacrosse as we've played since I've been here, particularly considering how talented Marquette is. I couldn't be happier for the guys as their efforts came together and they played at that level. That potential is why my staff and I think this group has a chance to make a run in the ASUN."
 
That big second quarter saw a pair of goals each from Tayo Oladunmoye, Kyle Playsted and long-stick defenseman Nick Ferge. The barrage came after Marquette led 1-0 after the first quarter and holding Bellarmine to just one shot on goal.
 
"The game had a half-field possession to half-field possession flow to it, particularly early on so we had to grind out offensive chances," said Whitley. "We had to go deep into the shot clock to generate the shots we were looking for and it's a credit to our kids that they didn't deviate from the plan, even when Marquette played great defense. That sort of discipline is winning lacrosse."
 
Playsted's goals extended his program-record total to 94.
 
Saturday's contest was the first multi-goal game of the season for Oladunmoye and the first of Ferge's career. A Milwaukee native, Ferge attended Marquette University High School, a short drive down West Wisconsin Avenue from Marquette University.
 
Senior midfielder Benny O'Rourk scored the final goal of the game with 3:19 left in the fourth to extend his consecutive games scoring streak to 31 while senior attackman Christian Della Rocco added his 83^rd career goal, tying him with Tucker Ciessau for third in program history behind Playsted and O'Rourk.
 
Sophomore attackman John Alie scored his team-leading 17^th goal of the season to put the Knights up 9-3 in the third.
 
It has been a hot stretch for Bellarmine (4-3) defensively since the season opener at Duke. They have now held their opponent to under 10 goals for six consecutive games, moving to 4-2 in that span.
 
"To hold a quality opponent like Marquette to five goals is a statement to how good our defense can be," said Whitley. "Marquette's attack of Devon Cowan, Bobby O'Grady and Jake Stegman is excellent and to hold that group to 3-for-28 shooting is an elite performance. Brady Long, Christopher Reynolds and the entire defensive unit should be proud of their efforts today."
 
"We even got some contributions on the offensive end from those guys with Nick Ferge and Denton Macdonald chipping in goals and Brady Long contributing an assist," Whitley added.
 
Goalie JC Higginbotham tallied 17 saves in the win. The five goals allowed were just one more than his career-best four goals allowed over a full 60 minutes, done in wins last season over Canisius and in 2021 over Cleveland State.
 
"JC Higginbotham is playing at an All-American level right now and that has anchored an elite defense," said Whitley of his fifth-year keeper. "He'll probably be the first to give credit to the guys in front of him, but those guys derive a ton of confidence knowing he's back there making plays. His play becomes a force multiplier for the defensive unit and the confidence of that group snowballs into the special performance you saw this afternoon."
 
Battling at the faceoff X was another key area of the game for the Knights. Sophomore faceoff specialist Grant Guthrie controlled 9-of-18 faceoffs against a unit that entered the game 20^th in the nation controlling 56.5 percent of their faceoffs.
 
"Grant Guthrie gave us a terrific effort against a high-end faceoff guy and neutralized an area of strength for Marquette which allowed us to control the tempo of the game," Whitley said.
 
Marquette (3-4) actually out-shot the Knights 41-31 and 22-16 on goal, but Bellarmine was able to convert on 35.4 percent of their shots to Marquette's 12.2 percent.
 
The game was Bellarmine's final nonconference game of the season and evened the all-time series with Marquette at five games apiece. Saturday's game was the second straight win for BU and broke a string of three consecutive games with one-goal margins.
 
Bellarmine opens their third season of Atlantic Sun play next Saturday against Utah at Frazier Stadium. Opening faceoff is once again set for 12 p.m. ET in the final game of the Knights' three-game homestand.
 
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