Bryant, Richmond clash on Long Island Saturday at 2p

COLD SPRING HARBOR, N.Y. – The No. 12 Bryant University men's lacrosse team heads to Long Island for its only neutral site game of the 2014 regular season and will take on a brand new opponent in the University of Richmond Saturday at 2 p.m. at Cold Spring Harbor High School.

The Spiders (2-7), who are in their inaugural season sponsoring men's lacrosse, act as the home team Saturday afternoon and enter the Empire State fresh off a 14-7 victory over Northeast Conference opponent Wagner College last Friday. The Bulldogs (7-2) come to Long Island riding a five-game winning streak dating back to March 8 and carry the highest national ranking in program history entering the week.

"There is no doubt our players feel very positive about their performance the last five games," said Bryant head coach Mike Pressler. "On a short preparation week, it's so important that we carry that momentum into the first faceoff Saturday."

The Spiders have found strength in a physical defensive unit, currently ranking sixth in the nation in caused turnovers with just a shade under 10 per game. That stat is led by freshman longstick midfielder Brendan Hynes (second nationally, 3.00 per game) and rookie defenseman Ryan Dennis (ninth, 2.22 per game).

Behind them waits a trio of goalies who have seen action in 2014, most notably rookie Benny Pugh, who has a 10.03 goals against average and .532 save percentage with 67 stops in 352 minutes and seven games played.

The Bulldogs, who have struggled with offensive turnovers all season, will have to keep those giveaways in check to find success against the Spiders.

"We've made a concerted effort over the last few games to do a better job taking care of the ball on offense," said Pressler.  "It's going to come down to who can enforce whose will over the other in the turnover department. Do we do a better job taking care of it, or do they do a better job putting it on the ground?"

Offensively, despite a hiccup in Tuesday's midweek game against local rival Providence College (a 7-6 Bryant win), the Bulldogs have found their stride as of late, led by the scoring of a strong top attack line of sophomore Shane Morrell (Glen Mills, Pa.), reigning NEC Rookie of the Week Tucker James (Essex Fells, N.J.) and senior Dan Sipperly (Greenwich, N.Y.). The trio has combined for 40 markers in 2014, while the first midfield adds another 30 scores with 20 helpers on the year.

Richmond will counter with an offense that features three double-digit goal scorers in Mitchell Goldberg (19 goals, 6 assists), J.P. Forester (16g) and Jean-Luc Chetner (10g, 6a), with sophomore attack Brad Burnam playing the role of distributor, doling out a team-best 18 assists. Burnam adds six goals of his own and is ranked 13th in the NCAA at a pair of assists per outing.

The Spiders have tried out five different players at the faceoff X in 2014, but have found the most success with Peter Moran (.400). Moran relies on his wing players at the X and ranks third on the team with 23 ground balls. Hynes leads the way with 39, while Jackson Cabot has 29 on the season.

Bryant is strong down the middle of the field, starting with junior Kevin Massa (Huntington, N.Y.), who will oppose Moran at the X. The New York native boasts 85 ground balls and a .672 winning percentage (127-of-189) through the first nine games of the 2014 campaign.

Sophomore Gunnar Waldt (Freeland, Md.) will also look to continue his stellar season between the pipes Saturday after entering the week ranked in the NCAA top 10 in saves per game, save percentage and goals against average. Earlier this week, Waldt was named a Midseason All-American by Inside Lacrosse and Lacrosse Magazine and was also added to the Tewaaraton Award Watch List over the last 10 days.

But the Spiders have proven that, despite first-year growing pains, they are here to compete, taking then-No. 7 Virginia down to the wire in the season opener, 13-12, and suffering four losses of four goals or fewer.

"Of all the first-year programs playing college lacrosse this season, I'm not sure there is a better one out there than the Richmond Spiders," said Pressler. "They are extremely well coached, they are very disciplined, and for a team made up mostly of freshmen and a few sophomores, they without question have our attention."

A pair of faces familiar to Pressler grace the Richmond sidelines, starting with head coach Dan Chemotti, who played under the Bulldogs' head coach at Duke from 1999-02. The other will be familiar to the entire Bulldog sideline, with Bryant alum Mason Poli joining the Richmond coaching staff for the 2014 season. Poli, who also plays for the Charlotte Hounds of the MLL, graduated from Bryant in 2013 after a career that saw him twice named a Tewaaraton Award semifinalist and three times selected as an All-America Honorable Mention.

"We have and will continue to root for Richmond all season long, except for these two hours Saturday afternoon at Cold Spring Harbor High School," said Pressler. "Coach Dan Chemotti and Coach Mason Poli are very near and dear to me personally. It's tough to compete against your friends, but at the end of the day, the players will decide this one, not the coaches."

Fans can follow live stats for Saturday's game at bryantbulldogs.com.