Bulldogs back in action, face Colonials on the road in NEC opener, Saturday at 1 p.m.

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Bryant University men's lacrosse team returns to the field for the first time in three weeks when it takes on Northeast Conference rival Robert Morris on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. in Moon Township, Pa.

"The previous seven games are not even a factor as we head into the final month of the regular season," said Bryant head coach Mike Pressler. "We have treated these last three weeks as our second pre-season and it's so much more about us and what we're doing than ever before."

The Bulldogs (4-3, 0-0 NEC) are 6-2 against the Colonials (4-5, 2-0) in the all-time series and hold a 2-1 edge on the road. The Black and Gold have won the last four meetings and have outscored Robert Morris, 52-32, in that stretch.

Seven current Bulldogs tallied points against the Colonials in last year's matchup, six of which registered multiple points. Seniors Shane Morrell (Glen Mills, Pa.) and Collins Gantz (Denver, Colo.) charted three goals and two goals and two assists, respectively, in that game. Junior attack Tucker James (Essex Fells, N.J.), junior midfielder Tom Forsberg (Huntington, N.Y.) and sophomore Tom Kennedy (Farmingdale, N.Y.) each tallied three points in Bryant's 10-8 victory. Morrell (8g, 7a) and Gantz (10g, 4a) have paced the Black and Gold in each of their four encounters with the Colonials.

The Bulldogs and their second-best scoring offense in the NEC (10.71 gpg) will need the entire unit to play at a high level this Saturday. Robert Morris has opened up league play with two-straight wins over Sacred Heart and most recently Mount St. Mary's on the road, and went 3-2 in March including a one-goal loss to No. 14/17 Air Force.  

"The key for us offensively will be playing with some balance and we need to play more middies then we have in the past to boost the offense," said Pressler.  

The Colonials limited both the Pioneers and Mountaineers to under 10 goals, and RMU currently leads the NEC in saves per game with 12.33 (12th nationally) thanks to a combination of netminders. Senior Matt Bukovac has appeared in eight games with seven starts this season and he boasts a 16.35 goals-against average with 54 saves. Freshman Alex Heger has been stout in eight appearances and one start for the Colonials between the pipes. The Frosh is allowing 6.81 goals per effort and has 59 saves to hold a 3-1 record.

"Robert Morris is always a tough out and they have a ton of momentum with two conference wins in a row," said Pressler. "We also have no idea what team is going to show up for us since we haven't played in three weeks, so this will be a challenging trip in many different ways."

Regardless of who is in net for the Colonials, the Black and Gold know who will show up in their crease, and that will be senior Gunnar Waldt (Freeland, Md.). Waldt currently leads the league and sits 13th in the country with 11 saves per contest, and he has turned away shots at an even higher rate in his previous four matchups with the Colonials. The senior captain has 53 saves in his four games against Robert Morris with just 32 goals allowed.

Waldt will once again be asked to stand on his head against one of the league's top offenses, averaging 10.56 goals per game, 16.67 points per game and 6.11 assists per contest to sit third, second and second, respectively, in the NEC. Senior attack Luke Laszkiewicz headlines three 20+ point scorers for the Colonials with 36 points on 26 goals and 10 assists. He leads the conference and sits ninth nationally in goals per game (2.89) and ranks second in the league with 3.89 points per game.

"Robert Morris is led by a pair of talented seniors we know very well," said Pressler. "Their offense and specifically their depth in the midfield are two focal points for us and will give us a tough time Saturday if we're not prepared."

Laszkiewicz is one of only nine players at the Division I level to score seven goals in a game this season. He is joined by senior midfielder James Rahe and sophomore attackman Adrian Torok-Orban with 23 points apiece on 18 goals and five assists and 13 goals and 10 assists, respectively. Torok-Orban has been highly efficient on the man-up opportunities with four extra-man scores, third-most in the NEC and 14th-most in the country. Senior mid Eric Rankel has tallied just 10 points this season on five goals and five helpers, but he has paced the Colonials against the Bulldogs in his four matchups with seven scores and five assists.

With the three weeks in between games, the Bulldogs will need to win early possessions to get shots on goal against an opponent, something that they have not been able to do since they last played on March 12. Kenny Massa (Huntington, N.Y.) will be the man responsible for giving his team possessions, as the sophomore specialist is winning 53 percent of his faceoff opportunities this season and leads the NEC in ground balls per game (6.43). He'll be met at the X by a veteran for the Colonials in senior Chris Barney, who is 80-for-173 on the faceoffs this year.

"We need Kenny to give us a great start on the road Saturday," said Pressler. "He has never been fresher and healthier than he is at this point in time and he has had a great week of practice."  

Due to the last three games being postponed to later dates, Saturday's contest is the first of seven games in a 24-day stretch for the Black and Gold.

"We've been battle-tested playing the now-number one team in the country in Yale, a very good Drexel team, beating Harvard who was 4-0 at the time and ranked in the top ten, and we've played well at times," said Pressler. "But starting with Robert Morris, these games are going to come so quickly over this grueling stretch and we'll need to be prepared as we begin what is essentially a brand new season."

First faceoff is set for 1:00 p.m. in Moon Township, Pa., and the contest can be watched live on NECFrontRow.com and followed along via livestats on RMUColonials.com.