LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Bellarmine University lacrosse team is set to square off with Robert Morris at noon (ET) Saturday at Joe Walton Stadium.
Bellarmine (4-4) and Robert Morris (4-3) have ostensibly been annual opponents since the Knights' inception in 2005, with this marking the 20th meeting in 22 years. BU holds a 10-9 lead — and a two-game winning streak — in the highly competitive series between former ASUN rivals (RMU is now a member of the Northeast Conference).
ABOUT ROBERT MORRIS
Robert Morris is on a roll, building a three-game winning streak with an 11-8 road victory at Canisius followed by a pair of 8-7 wins in overtime and double overtime, the former at home against High Point and the latter on the road against Hobart. Dylan Anderson is the reigning NEC Freshman of the Week after compiling six goals in the two OT wins. He's earned the award twice this season, once while simultaneously being named NEC Player of the Week. His 13 goals and seven assists both lead the team. Calum Brennan is next with nine goals. Nate Fechter is 3-2 in goal, earning the win in both recent OT victories, and had a 20-save outing against Bucknell.
KNIGHTS NOTES
• Bellarmine jumped out to a big lead in the series, winning eight of the first 11 contests, but the Colonials followed with the series' longest winning streak at six straight victories (2017-19, 2021-23). BU ended the run in 2024 with a 15-12 home win and followed with a 13-10 triumph, also in Louisville, last season.
• In last season's matchup, the teams were knotted at 8 after three quarters. Robert Morris inched ahead with a goal inside the first minute of the fourth, but Bellarmine answered with three straight goals to take an 11-9 lead with 8:37 left. The Colonials cut the deficit to 11-10, but the Knights restored a two-goal lead less than 30 seconds later. BU tacked on the game's final goal with less than 10 seconds remaining, outscoring RMU 5-2 in final period.
• Among returners, senior A/M
Michael Blaymires recorded a team-high three goals for Bellarmine in last year's clash. Sophomore attack
Ezra Moore collected two goals and three assists, while the Alie brothers, senior attack John and sophomore attack Joe, registered two goals and one assist apiece. Sophomore GK
Nolan Hudnut notched 12 saves and the win in the cage.
• Bellarmine is 2-3 on the road this season. The three losses were all against high-profile opponents in Duke, Ohio State and Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish are ranked No. 1, the Blue Devils are No. 4 and the Buckyes are No. 7 in the latest USILA coaches' poll. The Knights earned a 17-9 road win over Mercyhurst and a 16-9 road victory over Detroit Mercy in the other two outings.
• Bellarmine is coming off a 15-7 home loss to Long Island on Sunday. The Knights held a 6-5 lead at halftime, but the Sharks took control by outscoring BU 7-0 in the third quarter and 10-1 overall in the second half. The Knights were particularly frustrated with their performance on clears — they were 20-for-27 while LIU was 20-for-20.
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John Alie became the program's all-time leading goal scorer this season and now stands at 124 for his career. He's moved into second on the career points list with 174, with his 50 career assists ranking third all-time. Alie is the ASUN leader in total points (37) while ranking second in total goals (22) and assists (15). He's supplied five hat tricks this season.
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Joe Alie ranks third in the ASUN in total goals with 21. He recorded a team-high three against LIU, marking his fifth hat trick of the season. Alie has accumulated 50 goals in less than two seasons.
• Moore is the ASUN leader in total assists (19) while ranking second in total points (33). He's distributed two assists or more in all but one game this year. In less than two seasons, Moore already is tied for sixth on BU's career leaderboard in assists with 44.
• Hudnut tied a season high with 19 saves against LIU. It was the seventh time this season he's hauled in at least 13 saves. Hudnut is the conference leader in saves per game (14.00) and total saves (112). He's already up to third all-time at Bellarmine with 324 career saves. Former All-American and standout pro Dillon Ward is next with 576.
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