April 23, 2010

SATURDAY NIGHT DOGFIGHTS: THE BATTLE OF THE BULLDOGS

When the size of the dog is the same, which one will have the bigger fight? Bryant lacrosse takes on No. 11 Yale Saturday at 7 p.m. to find out in the first-ever Battle of the Bulldogs. 

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SMITHFIELD, R.I. – When it comes to Saturday’s men’s lacrosse matchup between Bryant University and 11th-ranked Yale, one thing is for certain: it will be a dogfight.

And while the adage may say it’s not the size of the dog in the fight, the Chihuahua, hard as it may try, will never come out ahead of a Great Dane. But what happens when the dogs are the same?

That question will be answered Saturday night when the Bulldogs head to New Haven, Conn. to visit, well, the Bulldogs.

But outside the bounds of motivational speakers and childhood pick-me-ups, no two dogs are, of course, the same. And coming off a disappointing loss to Holy Cross just days ago, the Bulldogs donning Black and Gold will have their fight tested on arguably the biggest stage of the season when the opening whistle blows Saturday night against their fourth nationally ranked opponent of the season.

“We are very very disappointed with our play Tuesday night, especially offensively, against the Crusaders,” said head coach Mike Pressler, who has led his team to an 8-5 record so far in 2010. “This has been a trend that has plagued us for much of this season, and for us to have any opportunity to beat Yale Saturday night, the Bryant Bulldogs must show up ready to go at the offensive end.”

Yale (9-2) enters its final non-conference contest on a five-game winning streak, victories that include wins over premier teams such as Dartmouth, Penn and most recently Brown. The Blue and White garnered a No. 11 ranking in the Nike/Inside Lacrosse Media Poll, the No. 13 spot in the USILA Coaches Poll and a No. 9 position in this week’s laxnews.com poll. The home side also enters the game with the top spot among Division I teams in New England according to the NEILA Coaches Poll.

“We are seeing a lot of parody this year,” said Pressler. “There are only 60 teams in Division I lacrosse, and everybody, across the board, is getting better. We certainly have a lot of respect for the job that Andy Shea and his staff have done with this year’s Yale team. They are playing with a lot of confidence and, without question, this will be a tough matchup for us in Reese Stadium Saturday night.”

The Connecticut Bulldogs, also known by their historical Elis nickname, boast five players with double-digit goal totals, led by 28 from junior Brian Douglass, whose 2.55 scores per game rank 15th in Division I. Sophomore Matt Gibson is close behind with 25 goals, and he leads the Ivy Leaguers with 43 points for a 13th-ranked 3.91 points per outing.

But Yale’s 13th-ranked defense may trump even its highly productive offense. The Elis allow just 8.73 goals per game and force 10.45 giveaways each time out, good for fifth in the nation. And that could be bad news for the visiting Bulldogs, who have struggled to score goals and to maintain and value offensive possessions as of late.

“That’s been an issue for us for 13 games now, our decision-making on offense,” said Pressler. “Going into this game, we are concentrating on ourselves. We have our own issues and problems to deal with, and as much as you want to game plan for Yale, we have to clean up the things that we aren’t doing well.”

But, if Bryant can play with the grit and determination it is known for, this dogfight could just turn out to be the weekend headliner.

To do so, though, the visiting Bulldogs will need top performances out of its young offensive ranks, and the team will need veterans and rookies alike to help take the pressure off sophomore leading scorer Max Weisenberg (Long Beach, N.Y.), who has drawn a lot of attention from opposing defenses as of late.

Weisenberg’s .523 shot percentage is good for seventh among all Division I scorers and the first-line middie has recorded at least one point in the last 16-straight contests, dating back to the 2009 season. Classmate Travis Harrington (Vestal, N.Y.) is the only other Bulldog with such a streak, having scored a goal in all 13 games this year.

“Our first midfield has to show up and be ready to play offensively,” Pressler said.

In addition to team defense, Yale ranks in the country’s top-20 in faceoffs (10th, .565), ground balls (14th, 33.73) and scoring offense (20th, 10.8). But Bryant is also featured in a number of top rankings, most notably boasting the nation’s top defense, one that allows just 6.50 goals per outing. It is a defense anchored by senior Matt Murnane (Rockville Centre, N.Y.) and his fourth-ranked 2.58 caused turnovers and 4.17 ground balls per game, as well as by sophomore goalie Jameson Love (Darien, Conn.), whose 6.38 goals against average is currently top ranked in Division I. Love also boasts a fifth-rated .590 save percentage with an 8-5 record on the year.

“Yale is getting a great effort in goal too,” said Pressler of Johnathan Falcone, whose 8.69 goals against average ranks 13th in the nation. “A strong defensive effort will be key for both teams, and we expect No. 35 [Love] to be outstanding for us Saturday night.”

The Bulldogs are also the top-ranked faceoff team in the nation (.613), thanks to the spectacular play of senior captain Andrew Hennessey (Wading River, N.Y.) and junior Evan Roberts (West Cornwall, Vt.). Hennessey’s .702 faceoff winning percentage leads the team (66-94), while Roberts has gone 73-for-131 (.557) filling in for the fifth-year senior in 2010.

“When we are successful, Andrew does well, and vice versa,” said Pressler. “A strong performance from him at the faceoff X will be a huge edge for us and for our offense.”

Bryant also earns top-20 rankings in man-up offense (8th, .463), man-down defense (9th, .765), caused turnovers per game (T-9th, 10.00) and ground balls per game (18th, 32.92).

But once that 7 p.m. whistle cuts through the crisp spring New Haven night, the numbers – much like the size of the dog – will cease to matter.

“We have to take care of the lacrosse ball,” said Pressler. “We have to defend them, we have to win faceoffs and we have to make our quality offensive opportunities count. That’s how we can compete in this game, and that’s the only way to come home with the win.”