Bryant looks for first winning streak of season Saturday in Senior Day bout against Robert Morris (1p)

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Bryant University men's lacrosse team plays host to Northeast Conference foe Robert Morris Saturday afternoon, as the Bulldogs go for their first winning streak of the season on what will also serve as 2015 Senior Day.

The Bulldogs (4-7, 2-2 NEC) enter Saturday's contest off back-to-back wins over league rivals Wagner, 5-3, and Sacred Heart, 16-6, and hope to continue that upward swing against the Colonials (2-9, 1-3). But while Bryant is coming off its best offensive performance of the season, Robert Morris also comes to Smithfield with momentum, having won its first conference contest Wednesday night, 10-7, over Mount St. Mary's.

The Colonials are led offensively by James Rahe (14 goals, 15 assists) and Eric Rankel (17g, 7a), with the latter also boasting five man-up tallies and eight caused turnovers in 2015. Carter Yepsen (12g, 10a) and leading goal scorer Luke Laszkiewicz (19g, 2a) have also posted more than 20 points this spring, with three more – Eric Wales (15), Adrian Torok-Orban (15) and Jacob Ruest (11) – contributing double-figure points through 11 games.

Robert Morris averages 9.27 goals per game, good for third on the league circuit, but truly stands out for its treatment of the ball in all phases of the game. The Colonials enter Saturday's matchup committing just 11.36 turnovers each time out, a number that ranks second in the nation behind only nationally ranked Towson (11.18). That care has also allowed them to be among the best in the country at the clearing game, where the squad ranks first in the NEC and 21st in Division I with a .868 success rate.

Led by 57 from top faceoff specialist Chris Barney (122-of-266), the Colonials average 25.36 ground balls per game but will have to put a team faceoff percentage of .459 up against one of the best in the nation at the X in Bulldog senior Kevin Massa (Huntington, N.Y.). Massa enters the tilt with a .650 winning percentage on the season, a number that rises to .704 in the last six games. He is also just 10 wins away from breaking the all-time NCAA career mark for faceoffs won.

The Colonials will also have to make their way past Bryant netminder Gunnar Waldt (Freeland, Md.), who lets in only 8.27 goals per game this season and averages an even-stingier 6.50 goals allowed dating back to March 10 (6 games). Waldt has 109 saves so far this spring with a .551 save percentage.

The Colonials counter with strength of their own between the pipes in the form of Chase Rose, who posts an 11.71 goals against average in 10 starts and 11 appearances in 2015. Rose also enters the game with 109 saves and turns away 48 percent of the shots he sees.

The Bulldogs will look for their top offensive weapons to build on Tuesday night's 16-goal outburst, led by 30-point scorers Tucker James (Essex Fells, N.J.) and Shane Morrell (Glen Mills, Pa.). After scoring a career-high six goals against the Pioneers last time out, James paces the Black and Gold with 23 goals, while Morrell is the team's top distributor with 13 assists.

Rookie attack Cam Ziegler (Carlsbad, Calif.) and junior midfielder Collins Gantz (Denver, Colo.) have each chipped in 10 scores of their own on the season, while frosh midfielder Tom Kennedy (Farmingdale, N.Y.) has eight tallies and nine helpers for 17 points on the year.

Prior to Saturday's 1:00 p.m. tip, the Bulldogs will honor their seven-member senior class: Robert Cordisco (Weston, Conn.), captain Connor Dent (Havertown, Pa.), Alex Haigis (Marblehead, Mass.), Ethan Kibrick (Manalapan, N.J.), captain Kevin Maiorano (Easton, Conn.), captain Kevin Massa (Huntington, N.Y.) and Brian Schlansker (Glenville, N.Y.). The contest can be seen live and free-of-charge at NECFrontRow.com.