Bulldogs honor eight seniors with a 15-2 dismantling of Statesmen, Saturday afternoon

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Bryant University men's lacrosse team led, 4-2, after the first period, but was the aggressor on defense the rest of the game and found a grove offensively to start the third, as it did not allow a goal from that point on and cruised to a 15-2 win over Northeast Conference rival Hobart on Saturday's Senior Day.

"I'm extremely pleased that we played a complete game today against a conference rival on our Senior Day," said Bryant head coach Mike Pressler. "The fact that we celebrated the class of 2016 with a great win on their day is truly special, and I'm very proud of our guys."  

The Bulldogs (9-4, 4-1 NEC) were paced by senior captain Shane Morrell (Glen Mills, Pa.) and junior attack Tucker James (Essex Fells, N.J.) with five points apiece on four goals and an assist and a goal and four helpers, respectively. Sophomore mid Tom Kennedy (Farmingdale, N.Y.) recorded a hat trick, while senior mid Collins Gantz (Denver, Colo.) and junior mid Ryan Sharpe (Poway, Calif.) each registered three points on two goals and an assist and a score and a helper, respectively. Senior netminder Gunnar Waldt (Freeland, Md.) made 10 stops and picked up a pair of ground balls in the win.

The Statesmen (7-6, 3-2) were provided with first-period goals from Mark Darden and Bryan Hancock, with Frank Brown handing out a helper. Keeper Jackson Brown turned away 14 shots, but allowed 14 goals.

Darden netted the first goal of the afternoon on an upstairs rip that just got past Waldt at the 13:13 mark, but the Bulldogs responded with four-straight over a 10-minutes stretch to take a 4-1 lead. Hancock made a move to his right and turned it back the other way to fire a rising rocket just past Waldt's mask with 44 ticks to go in the first, making it 4-2 after one.

From there, the Bulldogs dominated defensively and made things very difficult for the Hobart offense. Gantz was able to drive in his second of the day at the 10:16 mark of the second quarter, as it was the first of three scores in the frame, giving the hosts a 7-1 edge at the half.

"Number 13 back in the lineup could not have come at a better time," said Pressler. "To get him back after missing several games, and playing at the level that we've enjoyed is going to be a huge boost for this team heading into tournament play."

Not satisfied with a six-goal lead, the Bulldogs made sure that they would pull away to start the third frame. Kennedy scored the final goal of the first half and got the scoring started in the second half with a winder from his right hip after a nice feed from James. It was the first of five goals over the opening seven minutes of the third to give Bryant a commanding 12-2 lead.

"I pleaded to the team at halftime that it was key how we were going to respond in the third," said Pressler. "I pushed the guys and that was as good as a halftime response as we've had all year long."

The Bulldogs were able to tack on three more before it was all said and done, but the defensive efforts from top to bottom were the difference in the game. Bryant caused 12 Hobart turnovers, and forced the visitors to cough it up a total of 22 times, seven of which came in the fourth quarter. The Bulldogs outworked the Statesmen on the ground with 34 ground balls to their 22, as the two goals allowed tie for the fewest in Bryant's DI history. 

"We were on our game today in every phase," said Pressler. "I really couldn't be more pleased with the effort and execution today. Seldom do we put together a complete game like that in every phase, but we did and I'm very satisfied."  

The Bulldogs still have an outside shot of clinching home field advantage in the NEC Tournament after Robert Morris defeated St. Joseph's by a score of 13-8 today. The Hawks are still in first place in the league due to the tiebreaker that they have over the Black and Gold, but both teams have one more conference matchup on the horizon. The Colonials win locks up the fourth and final spot in the league's tourney, so all that is left to determine is seeding.

"Getting this one behind us and locking up no worse than the second seed with one game to go is great for this team," said Pressler. "To secure a ten win season is a great accomplishment at DI lacrosse and we will prepare over these next couple of days to hopefully achieve that on Tuesday."

The Bulldogs wrap up the 2016 regular season on Tuesday night at Sacred Heart, with first faceoff set for 7:00 p.m.