Massa sets sixth NCAA record, Bulldogs win third straight with 10-8 victory over RMU on Senior Day

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – With a 15-of-22 performance from the faceoff X, senior captain Kevin Massa (Huntington, N.Y.) broke the NCAA record for career faceoff wins as the Bryant University men's lacrosse team earned its first winning streak of the season with a 10-8 victory over Robert Morris at home Saturday afternoon.

Massa entered the contest needing just 10 faceoff wins to set his sixth NCAA Division I mark and take over the record previously held by Delaware's Alex Smith (1,027). The senior added a game-high 10 ground balls to his performance.

Junior attack Shane Morrell (Glen Mills, Pa.) led all scorers with a trio of goals, while six different Bulldogs (5-7, 3-2 Northeast Conference) found the back of the net Saturday at home. Starting midfielders Collins Gantz (Denver, Colo.) and Tom Forsberg (Huntington, N.Y.) each chipped in a pair of scores, while sophomores Tucker James (Essex Fells, N.J.) and Ryan Sharpe (Poway, Calif.) and rookie Tom Kennedy (Farmingdale, N.Y.) also recorded multi-point outings.

Eric Rankel tied Morrell's scoring output, tallying three goals to lead the Colonials (2-10, 1-3), who saw single scores from five other players in the loss.

Both teams traded goals through the halftime break and until midway through the third quarter, with senior Brian Schlansker (Glenville, N.Y.) taking the final turn with a goal off a Kennedy feed with 6:20 left in the third for a 4-3 Bulldog edge.

But the Colonials would take over the momentum from there, as an unassisted Jacob Ruest goal knotted the game at 4-4 – the fourth tie of the contest – and sparked a three-score Robert Morris run. James Rahe would connect with Eric Wales 90 seconds later and 30 seconds into a Connor Dent (Havertown, Pa.) penalty for the visitors' second man-up tally and first lead of the game, 5-4. Carter Yepsen would complete the streak with 3:11 left on the third-quarter clock with his own unassisted score for a two-goal RMU advantage.

Forsberg, assisted by Sharpe, would draw the visitors back within one with 2:18 showing on the clock, but the Black and Gold would head to the fourth trailing the Colonials, 6-5.

But off Massa's record-setting faceoff win to open the final stanza, Gantz took a pass from James and fired it past the shoulder of Robert Morris netminder Chase Rose (10 saves) to tie the game at 6-6, a score that sparked Bryant's own run through the first five minutes of the frame.

Just a minute later, James would get on the board himself to renew a one-goal Bulldog edge, and Forsberg would follow with his second score of the day as the clock ticked below 11 minutes to play for an 8-6 Bryant advantage.

Rahe responded three minutes later for the visitors, but it took less than 60 seconds for the Bulldogs to go back up by two, as James fed Gantz for what would be the eventual game winner with 7:05 on the clock for a 9-7 Bulldog margin.

Morrell completed his hat trick with four minutes remaining, and while Rankel added his third with 2:15 to play, the Bulldogs – led by strong play from junior goalie Gunnar Waldt (Freeland, Md.) (12 saves) – held off the Colonials through the final ticks for the 10-8 victory.

The Bulldogs outshot Robert Morris, 39-34, on the day but lost the ground ball battle for just the third time this season, 30-27. Bryant went 17-of-19 in the clearing game while the Colonials went 2-for-4 with the man advantage.

The Bulldogs won't have long to revel in the Senior Day victory, as they return to the field Tuesday night to host the top offense in the nation in No. 8 Albany at the Bryant Turf Complex. The 7:00 p.m. tilt can be seen live on NECFrontRow.com.