LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Bellarmine University lacrosse will open its conference slate on the road against ASUN preseason favorite Utah at 2 p.m. (ET) Saturday.

Although Bellarmine (4-7) is seeking its first win against Utah (5-3), three of the last four games have been decided by three goals or less. The teams have been ASUN foes since 2022 and met in the ASUN Tournament in three of the last four seasons.

ABOUT UTAH
Utah is coming off a 16-11 loss at Virginia, but the Utes had built a four-game winning streak prior to that contest. Utah boasts the third-ranked scoring offense in the country (15.38) and it's fourth in scoring margin (5.88). Along with being the ASUN leader, Luke McNamara is also the national leader in total goals (34) and goals per game (4.25). Ryan Stines, the ASUN Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, is tied atop the conference chart in points per game (4.75) behind 24 goals and 14 assists. Utah also carries the ASUN's Preseason Defensive Player of the Year in Nikko DiPonio and its Preseason Specialist of the Year in Tyler Kloeckl, who ranks 25th in the country in face-off percentage (.566).

KNIGHTS NOTES
• Utah was the top vote-getter in the ASUN preseason coaches' poll while Bellarmine was selected fourth in the six-team league.
• Utah holds a 10-0 series lead, with all contests coming since 2019.
• Bellarmine is 36th in the country in RPI. The Knights have faced four nationally ranked opponents, all on the road, in Duke, Ohio State, Notre Dame and Rutgers. In the USILA poll, the Fighting Irish are currently No. 1, the Blue Devils are No. 4, the Buckeyes are No. 6 and the Scarlet Knights are No. 18.
• Bellarmine is tied for first in the country in total extra-man offense goals with 16. The Knights are tied for 16th in man-up offense percentage (.457, 16-for-35). They are tied for 10th in the nation in shot percentage (.329).
• Bellarmine is coming off a 15-10 home loss to Marquette. The Knights took a 3-0 lead, but the Golden Eagles accounted for 11 of the next 13 goals in the contest to hold an 11-5 advantage early in the fourth quarter. The Knights proceeded to go on a 4-0 run to cut their deficit to two with 8:01 left, but MU closed the game on a 4-1 run.
• John Alie is the ASUN leader in total points (52) while ranking second in total goals (33) and third in total assists (19). The senior attack is the national leader in total points, is tied for second in total goals, is tied for ninth in goals per game (3.00), is 13th in points per game (4.73) and is tied for 14th in total assists. Alie is coming off a four-goal effort against Marquette, marking his seventh hat trick of the season.
• Nolan Hudnut is the national leader in total saves (158) while ranking second in saves per game (14.36). Along with being the ASUN leader in those categories, the sophomore GK ranks fourth in the conference and 30th nationally in save percentage (.523). Hudnut recorded 18 saves against Marquette and has amassed at least 13 saves in all but one game this season. His 158 saves in 2026 rank sixth for a single season in program history. Hudnut's 370 career saves rank third in program history.
• Ezra Moore is the ASUN leader in total assists (28) while ranking second in total points (44). The sophomore attack is tied for second nationally in total assists, is tied for ninth in total points and is 10th in assists per game (2.55). Moore tied a season high with five assists against Marquette. He's distributed at least two assists in all but two games. His 28 assists are tied for the third most in a single season in program history. He already ranks fourth in program history with 53 career assists.
• Joe Alie, brother of John Alie, ranks third in the ASUN in total goals (27), a figure that is tied for seventh in the country. The sophomore attack's 2.45 goals per game rank 44th in the nation. Alie posted three goals against Marquette to mark his seventh hat trick of the season. With 56 career goals, he's only eight shy of cracking the program's all-time top 10.

For more coverage of Bellarmine athletics, follow us on Twitter (@BUKnights), Instagram (BUKnights) and Facebook (BUKnights).