AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – The Bellarmine lacrosse team rides their three-game winning streak into a tough road matchup against Air Force this Saturday. Opening faceoff at Falcon Stadium is set for 1 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
 
"Saturday has a ton of conference implications and Air Force has been playing better than anyone in the ASUN thus far this season," said Bellarmine head coach Andrew Whitley. "The Falcons were two goals from the conference championship last season and they look like serious contenders thus far in 2024."
 
Since suffering a loss to Utah in their Atlantic Sun opener, Bellarmine (7-4, 3-1 ASUN) has rattled off wins over Mercer, Queens and Lindenwood by a combined score of 46-24. They will take on an Air Force (5-4, 4-0 ASUN) team who is enjoying a four-game win streak of their own, though three of the four have been tightly contested. The Falcons blew out Lindenwood 15-3, but beat Utah, Cleveland State and Queens by an average of 2.67 goals.
 
At Frazier Stadium last season, Bellarmine walked away with an 11-10 win over Air Force after holding off the Falcons' fourth-quarter rally. The Knights led 10-7 entering the fourth, but were outscored 3-1 in the final frame. Air Force got to within one with 1:41 left and won the ensuing faceoff, but missed on one shot and Dante Batista saved another before Bellarmine cleared for the win. Kyle Playsted posted three goals and two assists.
 
"Last season was an extremely significant win for us," Whitley said. "I expect Air Force is looking for payback and will bring their A game on Saturday."
 
Playsted, who became Bellarmine's first 100-goal scorer Saturday against Lindenwood, now has a chance to become the first Knight with 100 assists and the first Knight with 200 points. He currently sits at 95 career assists and 197 career points. Benny O'Rourk needs just three goals to join Playsted in the 100 goal club while Christian Della Rocco is nine away.
 
Defensively, Bellarmine is tied for 12^th in the nation allowing 9.73 goals per game. They will deal with a Falcons offense tied for 51^st in the country averaging 10.56 goals per game. Air Force is paced by sophomore attackmen Josh Yago and Caelan Driggs.
 
"The Falcons are led by two players in particular who are having breakout seasons in Yago and Driggs," Whitley said. "Both players have really come into their own in 2024 and are extremely challenging to cover as they have sparked Air Force's four game winning streak."
 
Yago leads the team with 32 points (15 goals, 17 assists) and is fourth in the ASUN averaging 3.56 points per game. Driggs is second on the team with 28 points, though his production has been more scoring-oriented than distributing-oriented with 23 goals and five assists. Neither appeared against Bellarmine in 2023.
 
"Driggs has a similar skill set to our own Christian Della Rocco and John Alie so we are very aware of the type of impact he is capable of on a lacrosse game," Whitley said. "Yago has become an increasingly effective facilitator of their offense and has assumed the leadership mantle in 2024. His progression has definitely mitigated the loss of Brandon Dodd to graduation."
 
Dodd last year was named ASUN co-Player of the Year alongside Playsted.
 
"Aidan Tolen is also a presence we cannot forget," Whitley added. "He is a proven producer and impact player in the ASUN. His point production may be down a bit in 2024, but he is more than capable of breaking out at any point and it would be foolish to forget about a proven all-ASUN performer. He is an extremely impactful two-way midfielder and we will be very aware of where he is on the field at all times."
 
Tolen accumulated 26 goals last season, but the Knights have defended him well each of the last two years, holding him to just two goals on 11 shots.
 
Air Force's defense currently sits tied for 26^th in the country allowing 10.44 goals per game and is led by Chris Bardak, who averages 3.11 groundballs and 1.33 caused turnovers per game.
 
"Air Force is perennially amongst the best teams in the country defensively and this year is no exception," Whitley said. "Bardak is as good a defensive player as there is in our league and he has become a threat offensively in transition while remaining a foundational component of their defense. They also have two very capable goalies in Nolan Parlette and Quinn Richards to backstop their defensive unit."
 
Quinn and Parlette have split the Falcons' time in-goal nearly down the middle with Parlette starting five games thus far and Quinn starting four.
 
"We've had a very good week of practice and I'm excited about the direction we are headed at the moment," Whitley concluded. "Saturday will be a battle between two teams with ASUN championship aspirations and I would imagine will have the feel of a postseason game from the opening whistle."
 
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