AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – The Knights head back to Colorado less than a month after their last visit to take on Cleveland State in the first round of the ASUN Championship Tuesday at Falcon Stadium. Opening faceoff is set for 1 p.m. ET.
 
"We are very excited to embark on the journey in pursuit of our first conference championship," said Bellarmine head coach Andrew Whitley. "This group is looking forward to the challenge ahead and we are thrilled to be in Colorado Springs to make the journey."
 
Bellarmine (9-7, 5-4 ASUN) took down Cleveland State (8-7, 5-4 ASUN) earlier this month at Owsley B. Frazier Stadium, 14-9, and have won four straight against the Vikings. This will be the teams' first meeting in the ASUN Championship and the winner will move on to face top-seeded Utah in the semifinals on Friday.
 
"Cleveland State is an extremely familiar foe who gave us everything we could handle in the regular season, said Whitley. "We had to scrap and claw our way to a victory a couple of weeks ago and I would expect another spirited contest on Tuesday."
 
On April 13, the Vikings jumped out to a 6-2 lead with 7:44 left in the second quarter, but the Knights ripped off a 10-2 run from that point until the end of the third quarter to go up 12-8 before winning by a five-goal margin. Kyle Playsted, Benny O'Rourk and Justin Wescoat each registered hat tricks and goalie Jack Bryant earned the win in his first career start.
 
Cleveland State was led by Alex Van Voorhis' four points on a goal and three assists while Gavin Held scored twice and also registered an assist.
 
"Their offense has only gotten more balanced since we saw them last as they have five players over 25 points," said Whitley. "There isn't a single player you can focus on, which is challenging because they have the ability to feed the hot hand."
 
The Vikings' attack finished the regular season seventh in the ASUN averaging 9.80 goals per game while Bellarmine enters postseason play having allowed the fourth-fewest goals per game in the ASUN (11.19). CSU checks in right behind them at 11.93.
 
"We have to play good system defense, which is a strength of ours," Whitley said. "I would expect another chess match between their offense and our defense and the group that executes the best will certainly give their team a major advantage."
 
Whitley attributed Grant Guthrie's work at the faceoff X as a big reason for the Knights being able to battle back against the Vikings just over two weeks ago. Guthrie won 13-of-23 faceoffs taken (.565) and Whitley anticipates needing a similar performance in order to win in Colorado.
 
"Faceoffs are going to be another key facet on Tuesday," Whitley said. "Cleveland State was able to build an early lead because they controlled the X for much of the first half. Grant gave us a spark in the second half and that went a long way helping us stretch our lead. Each team has three very capable faceoff guys and the unit that controls that area might be the difference in the game on Tuesday."
 
Bellarmine is 1-2 all-time in the ASUN Championship. They defeated Mercer in the first round in 2023 for their first postseason win program history. The Knights have been bounced by Utah in both of their previous trips.
 
"This is our third consecutive season in the ASUN Championship and our guys are ready to buckle their chin straps and make a deep run," Whitley concluded. "Nothing comes easy this time of year and we are excited to have earned the opportunity to survive and advance."
 
Live coverage of all five ASUN Championship games will be carried on ESPN+.
 
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