LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Bellarmine University lacrosse will make its Atlantic Sun Conference home debut when the Knights welcome Air Force for a noon (ET) contest Saturday at Owsley B. Frazier Stadium.

Both Bellarmine (4-8, 0-1 ASUN) and defending ASUN Tournament champion Air Force (2-7, 0-1) dropped their conference openers, with the Knights falling 20-14 at preseason favorite Utah and the Falcons upended 16-10 at home by Jacksonville.

ABOUT AIR FORCE
Air Force had a rough start against Jacksonville, falling behind 5-0. The Dolphins led 12-3 at halftime and then scored the first two goals of the second half. The Falcons will look to carry over a strong finish, as they outscored Jacksonville 7-2 over the last quarter and a half. Caelan Driggs, who was on the Preseason All-ASUN Team, paced Air Force with three goals and ranks 10th in the conference in total goals with 19. Christian Schweiger is the team's leader in points with 29 (17 goals, 12 assists), which ranks ninth in the league.

KNIGHTS NOTES
• This is the 21st meeting in series history between Bellarmine and Air Force. The Falcons own a 16-4 advantage. The teams have met in all but two years of the Knights' existence. They didn't square off in BU's inaugural 2005 campaign, when the program didn't play a full D1 schedule. The only other year they didn't clash was 2020, when their contest was among those canceled due to the pandemic.
• The ASUN is the fourth different conference in which Bellarmine and Air Force have been league counterparts. The de facto partnership began in the Great Western Lacrosse League (2007-09) and then continued in the Eastern College Athletic Conference (2010-14), the Southern Conference (2015-21) and the ASUN (2022-present). The only time the Knights and Falcons squared off when they weren't in the same conference was in their very first meeting in 2006.
• Bellarmine and Air Force last met in Frazier Stadium in 2023, when the Knights captured an 11-10 victory. The Falcons hosted the previous two matchups, winning 11-7 in 2024 and 18-6 in 2025. In last season's contest, USAFA managed to shut out BU in two of the quarters, while the Falcons scored five goals in three of the four periods.
• Bellarmine will be beginning league play by squaring off against the top 2 teams in the ASUN preseason coaches' poll. The Knights opened league action last Saturday at preseason favorite Utah and now will make their ASUN home debut against the conference's preseason No. 2 squad in Air Force.
• In the 20-14 loss to Utah, Bellarmine amassed its most goals in the 11-game series history, but on the flipside, the Utes also had their most prolific scoring performance ever in the series. A 7-1 run bridging the second and third quarters boosted the Utes' lead to 15-6 and was the defining stretch of play in their win.
• John Alie is the national leader in total points (57) while tying for second in total goals (37) and tying for 15th in total assists (20). The senior attack ranks 13th in the nation in goals per game (3.08), 14th in points per game (4.75) and 19th in shot percentage (.449). Alie ranks first in the ASUN in total points, second in total goals and goals per game, and third in total assists. He tallied four goals against Utah while recording his eighth hat trick of the season.
• Alie became Bellarmine's all-time leader in career goals this season and has spiked his total to 139. His 194 career points rank second (Kyle Playsted, 222), and his 55 career assists are tied for third (Playsted, at 109, is first). As far as a single season, Alie's 37 goals and his 57 points both rank sixth in program history.
• Ezra Moore is the ASUN leader in total assists (30) and is second in total points (49). The sophomore attack ranks third in the country in total assists and is sixth in total points, seventh in assists per game (2.50) and 25th in points per game (4.08). Moore's 30 assists rank second in a single season in program history (Playsted, 39 in 2023). He's now tied with Alie for third all-time with 55 career assists. Moore posted his fourth hat trick of the year after scoring three goals and adding two assists against Utah.
• Nolan Hudnut is the national leader in total saves (166) while ranking fourth in saves per game (13.83). The sophomore GK tops the ASUN in both categories.
• Joe Alie, brother of John, is tied for sixth in the nation in total goals (31), a figure which ranks third in the ASUN. The sophomore attack netted four goals against Utah for his eighth hat trick of 2026.
• Bellarmine ranks fifth in the country in shot percentage (.337).

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