Bulldogs Denied NCAA Bid; Bryant Ends Season 11-4 Under Coach Pressler
May 6, 2007
BRYANT MEN'S LACROSSE DENIED NCAA BID;
Bulldogs End Season 11-4 as Northeast-10 Regular
Season Champions
SMITHFIELD, RI - The Bryant University men's lacrosse team saw its
season officially come to a close Sunday evening as the Bulldogs
were not one of the four teams selected to participate in the 2007
NCAA Division II tournament. Limestone of the South Region
will travel to Le Moyne for a semifinal matchup while Mercyhurst of
the Central Region will host regional rival NYIT in the other
semifinal.
Bryant, which entered the past week ranked No. 1 in the North Region with a 9-0 regional record, defeated Merrimack College on Friday in a Northeast-10 Conference semifinal and fell to Le Moyne, 5-4 in Sunday's championship.
Bryant, the regular-season champion of the Northeast-10 with a perfect 9-0 record (11-4 overall) defeated Le Moyne 10-9 in overtime when the Dolphins were No. 1 in the country back in March. But Le Moyne, ranked No. 2 nationally this week with just two regional losses (to then No. 9 Bryant and unranked Merrimack), avenged its loss to the Bulldogs Sunday by capturing its seventh-straight conference title and securing its spot and right to defend its national championship in this year's NCAA tournament.
Bryant's two other losses this year were out of region games to then No. 7 Adelphi and then No. 5 C.W. Post, two teams Le Moyne defeated this season.
Bryant, under the direction of coach Mike Pressler (pictured), had its game with NY Tech cancelled due to snow earlier this season and the game was never made up. The Bulldogs did not face Mercyhurst this season but did fall to Limestone 13-8 last Sunday in a neutral site game. Pressler was named Co-Coach of the Year in the NE-10.
The Bulldogs (11-4) overall on the season, won their first Northeast-10 Conference regular season title in 2007 and finished the regular season ranked sixth in the country.