The University of Utah men’s lacrosse team began Atlantic Sun Conference play with a 20-14 win over the Bellarmine Knights at Ute Field on March 28. The victory improved Utah’s record to 6-3 overall and marked their eleventh consecutive win against Bellarmine.
This opening conference game is significant as it sets the tone for Utah’s season in the Atlantic Sun Conference. The team demonstrated strong offensive and defensive performances, which could influence their momentum in upcoming matches.
Utah led 11-6 at halftime, with a closer second half but still maintained control to secure the win. The Utes assisted on sixteen of their twenty goals, just one short of their program record for assists in a single game. Their thirty-six total points tied for fourth-most by any Utah squad in one outing. On faceoffs, Tyler Kloeckl was particularly effective, winning twenty-two out of thirty-one attempts and collecting fourteen ground balls—both personal bests that rank among top performances in program history.
Luke McNamara led all scorers with six goals while Zachary White contributed three goals and three assists. Ryan Stines extended his point streak to forty-four games with two goals and three assists, and Will Overly recorded a career-high five assists. Defensively, Nikko DiPonio caused four turnovers and picked up six ground balls after being named to the Tewaaraton Award Watch List earlier this week along with Stines.
Colin Lenskold made seven saves before leaving late in the fourth quarter due to a collision; Matthew Dineen replaced him and added two saves off the bench. Throughout the match, Utah nearly doubled Bellarmine’s shot total (60-33) and held an advantage in ground balls (44-22). The defense also forced fourteen turnovers while maintaining perfect clearance efficiency.
Looking ahead, Utah will continue conference play on April 4 when they travel to face Mercer Bears in Macon, Georgia.
