Morrell ties Division I mark in Bryant’s 14-4 loss to No. 6 Yale Saturday afternoon

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Bryant University men's lacrosse team was held to just 15 shots on goal against a stout Yale defense in Saturday's 14-4 home loss the No. 6 team in the nation.

Senior attack Shane Morrell (Glen Mills, Pa.) tied Colin Dunster ('14) for the Bulldogs' (3-2) DI goals mark with two scores to pace the hosts, as junior attack Brett Baker (Ridgefield, Conn.) and sophomore midfielder Jake Pellegrino (Glen Rock, N.J.) tallied a goal apiece.

The Elis (3-0) were paced by eight different goal scorers including hat tricks from Michael Keasey and Joseph Sessa. Ben Reeves (2g, 1a) and Eric Scott (1g, 2a) combined for six points, while Jeff Cimbalista and Jack Tigh tallied a goal and an assist each.

Senior netminder Gunnar Waldt (Freeland, Md.) turned away 12 shots while allowing 13 scores, and Phil Huffard improved to 3-0 on the year with 11 saves on 14 shots in goal for Yale.

The Bulldogs had a packed crowd of over 600 fans on their feet when Baker fired in the first goal of the game with under 10 minutes to play in the opening quarter. But Yale responded with five-consecutive goals from five different players to conclude the frame with a 5-1 edge.

Keasey netted his second goal of the afternoon with 6:28 to play in the second stanza to make it 6-1, before Morrell caged his first goal on Bryant's man-up opportunity that was created after a slashing call on Christopher Keating. But Scott answered just 10 seconds to later to give the visitors a 7-2 advantage that was held through the remainder of the half.

Much like the second period, Keasey and Morrell traded goals in the third frame to make it 8-3 in favor of the Elis. But six-straight scores from Yale gave it a 14-3 lead with under 15 seconds remaining in the fourth, as the stretch squashed any opportunities of a Bryant comeback.

Yale entered the contest boasting the fourth-best defense in the nation at 6.00 goals allowed per game, and they stymied the Black and Gold for much of the afternoon. Bryant was limited to just 23 shots (15 on target) and it turned the ball over 16 times.

Junior attack Tucker James (Essex Fells, N.J.) was manned by preseason All-American Michael Quinn for the majority of the day, and James was held without a point for the first time since April 12, 2014. James had registered a point in 31-consecutive outings which was the sixth-longest streak in Division I.      

Along with resilient defending, the Elis won the battle at the faceoff X, 15-6, which created more chances resulting in Yale outshooting Bryant, 49-23.

The Bulldogs will put this one behind them as they take the field again on Tuesday and welcome in their second-straight top-15 opponent from the Ivy League in No. 12 Harvard. The matchup with the Crimson is set for 7:00 p.m. at the Bryant Track and Turf Complex and the action can be seen live on NECFrontRow.com.