Bulldogs announce 2016 schedule, captains

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Bryant University Athletics and head men's lacrosse coach Mike Pressler are pleased to announce the schedule and team captains for the 2016 season.

The Bulldogs' 15-game slate is once again evenly balanced between time spent on the road and time spent at home in Smithfield, with the Black and Gold hosting eight opponents at the Bryant Turf Complex. Many of the team's seven road contests will also keep the Bulldogs close to home.

"It's a very balanced schedule, with eight home games and only three overnights in 2016," said Pressler. "Every season, we try to play the toughest non-league schedule we can assemble. At the end of the day, though, our postseason hopes and dreams will once again be determined through conference play and the NEC Tournament."

Bryant kicks off another challenging non-conference lineup in front of a friendly crowd on Saturday, Feb. 6 against first-time opponent Manhattan College. But the side's next six opponents are anything but unfamiliar, as the Bulldogs welcome Bucknell to the Ocean State on Feb. 13 before hitting the road to take on local rivals Providence College (Feb. 20) and the University of Hartford (Feb. 27).

The Black and Gold return to Rhode Island to open March action with three-straight home contests, hosting back-to-back Ivy League foes in Yale (March 5) and Harvard (March 8) before Drexel hits the Turf Complex, marking the sixth-straight season in which the teams have faced off.

Bryant will then visit Siena on the road in Loudonville, N.Y., Tuesday, March 15 in the second all-time meeting between the sides and first since the 2014 NCAA Play-In Game at Bulldog Stadium.

From there, the Bulldogs jump into Northeast Conference action, welcoming Mount St. Mary's to Smithfield March 19 before three-straight road contests will take the Black and Gold to Connecticut (Sacred Heart on March 25), western Pennsylvania (Robert Morris on April 2) and back to Rhode Island to complete Ocean State Cup play at Brown Tuesday, April 5.

Bryant will wrap up the regular-season slate with two of the last three in Smithfield, bookending a trip to Saint Joseph's on April 16 with home contests against Wagner (April 9) and Hobart (April 23).

The NEC Tournament will be played Thursday, May 5 and Saturday, May 7 at the home of the highest seed.

Strong leadership has propelled the Bulldogs into the NCAA tournament in each of the last three seasons, and the Bulldogs are poised to provide the same great guidance from senior tri-captains William Gould (New Canaan, Conn.), Shane Morrell (Glen Mills, Pa.) and Gunnar Waldt (Freeland, Md.) in 2016.

"It's a pleasure to announce these three as our captains for the 2016 season," said Pressler. "All three individuals are without question proven veterans. All three have very different and unique leadership styles that will complement each other and our team very effectively."

A role player who has seen action in nearly every game throughout his career as a longstick midfielder, Gould makes the move to shortstick defensive middie in 2016 where he will continue to be a leader of the defensive ranks as one of the most well-respected and hardest working members of the team.

"I am so excited for Will Gould," said Pressler. "He has a unique ability to hold his teammates to a high standard both on the field and off it."

The first of two fifth-year senior captains and one of the most prolific scorers in program history, Morrell is a three-time all-conference selection who has led the Bulldogs in points in each of the last two seasons. Top three in points, goals and assists in each of his three campaigns as a Bulldog starter, he enters his senior season ranked inside the program's top-10 in game-winning goals (third), goals per game (fifth), goals (sixth), points per game (sixth), points (sixth), shots (eighth), assists (eighth) and assists per game (ninth).

"Shane Morrell is a four-year starter and a truly proven commodity at the attack position," Pressler said. "He will lead through his tremendous play and effort, and through the daily example that he sets for all."

The only repeat captain, Waldt returns to the captaincy as a fifth-year senior in 2016. A two-time All-American and back-to-back NEC Defensive Player of the Year honoree, he is one of the premier netminders in the country in his final season of eligibility. Waldt ranked in the nation's top-20 in save percentage (fifth), goals against average (ninth) and saves per game (17th) in 2015 while anchoring a defense that ranked 10th overall. He enters his senior season ranked second on the program's career saves list (574) and tied for the program lead with 30 all-time wins.

"Another fifth-year senior, Gunnar Waldt is our final captain and has been voted so for the second time," said Pressler. "He is one of the top goalies out there to start the 2016 season, and he has the ability to inspire the defensive guys in front of him. He is truly a field general for us on the backline."

For the full 2016 Bryant University men's lacrosse schedule and roster, and for continuing news and notes on this year's team, visit bryantbulldogs.com.