No. 20 Bulldogs host Siena in NCAA tournament play-in Wednesday at 4 p.m.

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Sunday night, the No. 20 and Northeast Conference Champion Bryant University men's lacrosse team found itself in a familiar place – grouped together across couches and branded folding chairs in their locker room, waiting for some word on what was coming next.

For the second-straight season, the Bulldogs were heading to the NCAA tournament, earning the auto bid out of the NEC. But unlike last season, when Bryant opened its Division I tournament history at the Carrier Dome against No. 1 Syracuse, with the newly expanded NCAA tournament field, the Bulldogs had a more enticing possibility looming – an NCAA tournament home game.

"Whatever it is, it is, right?" Bryant head coach Mike Pressler said to his team just seconds before the NCAA Selection Show began.

It would take nearly 20 minutes to find out for sure, but that home game is exactly what the Bulldogs would get. When those six letters – BRYANT – flashed across the screen, cheers rung out, and next to Bryant was the name of the MAAC Champion Siena, who will visit Smithfield Wednesday at 4:00 p.m. to battle the Black and Gold for the chance to take on No. 2 Syracuse at the Carrier Dome Sunday at 7:30 p.m. (ESPNU).

"It's a first," said Pressler. "To be the first team at Bryant University to have a Division I NCAA tournament home game is a remarkable accomplishment for our team this year."

"It brings great notoriety to our university," said senior captain and All-NEC First Team midfielder Alex Zomerfeld (Port Jefferson, N.Y.). "With our fan base, having a home game is a huge advantage."

The Saints (11-5) make their third NCAA tournament appearance in 2014. Wednesday's game will be played at Bulldog Stadium and will be broadcast live and free of charge on NECFrontRow.com.

"We love playing at home," said senior captain and all-conference defenseman Matt MacGrotty (New Westminster, British Columbia). "We love all our fans, too. It adds to the energy and gives us an advantage."

The Bulldogs (14-4) play to their second-consecutive NCAA tournament after winning their third-straight Northeast Conference Tournament crown with a 10-4 win over Hobart Saturday afternoon. Siena topped Marist, 11-7, to earn the MAAC Tournament title.

"Siena is balanced on offense and has a great attackman in No. 12 [Richie Hurley]," said Pressler. "They are terrific in the midfield and have an outstanding goalie. They are a team that, like us, had a very successful weekend in their conference championship."

Awaiting the winner of Wednesday's play-in game is a date with second-ranked Syracuse, an opponent the Bulldogs are all too familiar with after dropping a 12-7 decision to the Orange last season in the NCAA opening round.

"I feel like there is a rivalry there from last year," said Zomerfeld. "We want that game back."

"Just having the experience of playing them last year is huge for us if we move on," said senior captain and All-NEC First Teamer Colin Dunster (Cos Cob, Conn.). "It's not like they are a team we've never seen before. We've been there before now."

"It's a stadium we played in before, too," added senior captain JK Poirier (Coatesville, Pa.). "We know what to expect going to the Carrier Dome."

But to get there, the Bulldogs will first need to get past a tough Siena side. The Black and Gold hope to lean on their experience to help get the program its first NCAA tournament victory and carry them through to the first round.

"For us, if we are fortunate enough to win, this is a group that has been to the tournament before," said Pressler. "The Siena game is our second tournament game, so the lessons we learned a year ago, we will apply to Wednesday and beyond."