12/11 Bulldogs fall to Saint Joseph's, 9-7, Saturday

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The No. 12/11 Bryant University men's lacrosse team rattled off five-straight third-quarter goals to tie the game but Saint Joseph's was able to pull away in the fourth quarter and earn a crucial 9-7 victory on Saturday afternoon in Philadelphia.

The Bulldogs (9-3, 2-1 NEC) fell behind 5-0 and trailed 6-1 at the half before racing back to tie the game with five goals in the third quarter. The Hawks (8-3, 4-0), however scored the first two goals of the fourth quarter and added late tally to secure the victory and jump into the driver seat in the Northeast Conference.

"I am very disappointed, that was our worst first half of the season and St. Joe's had a lot to do with that," head coach Mike Pressler said. "They played with more energy, controlled the pace of play and were deliberate on offense."

The Hawks started quickly, scoring just a minute and a half into the game. Johnny Simanski lifted the lid with his 10th goal of the season and Will Farrell made it 2-0 moments after the Bulldogs hit the post on the other end. Saint Joseph's added to its lead following a failed clear attempt as Kyle Bruun cashed in an unassisted marker.

Following a Pat Swanick marker to start the second quarter, junior Brian Schlansker (Glenville, N.Y.) finally got the Bulldogs on the board as he fired home his sixth goal of the year on the man-up opportunity.

Saint Joseph's responded, however, netting a pair of goals to close out the half. Ray Vandergift found the back of the net after a Bryant turnover with 7:52 to play and Evan Wolf scored following another Bryant turnover to give the Hawks a 6-1 lead at the break.

Bryant came firing out of the break and quickly potted a pair of goals to get back in the game. Alex Zomerfeld (Port Jefferson, N.Y.) returned the favor as he turned a failed clear attempt by the Hawks into a goal just over a minute and a half in before setting up sophomore Shane Morrell (Glen Mills, Pa.) five minutes later to make it 6-3.

The Black and Gold then grabbed all of the momentum as SJU's Danny Manning took a nonreleaseable three-minute penalty with 8:21 left in the third quarter. Morrell and Zomerfeld hooked up again a minute into the man-up opportunity and Schlansker found the back of the net for the second time in the game under 30 seconds later on an assist from Colin Dunster (Cos Cob, Conn.) to make it 6-5. With all the momentum in their favor, the Bulldogs were finally able to tie the game as Morrell capped the five-goal outburst and completed his hat trick with 3:48 left.

"That [the three-minute penalty] was the real momentum changer and the key turning point in the third," Pressler said. "We just never got the seventh goal."

Saint Joseph's did, however, regaining the lead just moments into the fourth quarter as Ryan McGee netted his team-leading 22nd goal of the season. Michael Rastivo bulged the lead to two six minutes later as he fired home his 13th goal of the year after picking up a ground ball.

Bryant made one final push, cutting the deficit to one with just 1:28 left to play. The Bulldogs raced down the field and Dunster was able to score his only goal of the game to make it 8-7. Saint Joseph's sealed the victory as they won the ensuing faceoff and turned a ground ball collection into a goal with just 48 seconds left.

Morrell's hat trick was his second-straight this year and gives him 21 on the year. Schlansker posted his second-straight two-goal game, while Zomerfeld picked up three points on a goal and two helpers. Junior Gunnar Waldt (Freeland, Md.) made 14 saves in defeat, falling to 9-3 on the year. Junior Kevin Massa (Huntington, N.Y.) went 12-for-16 in the faceoff X and collected eight ground balls.

"There is a lot of lacrosse left," Pressler said. "This ended a grueling stretch of four games in two weeks all on the road. We have to rebound and get ready for Mount on Saturday."

The Bulldogs will host the Mountaineers on Saturday, April 12 at Bulldog Stadium. Faceoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.