RV/No. 20 Bulldogs hold off Pioneers in sloppy season finale for 10th win, 9-3, on the road

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Bryant University men's lacrosse team was forced into turning the ball over 23 times, but hammered down defensively and added timely goals across the game to take an 8-0 lead late into the fourth, holding on for a 9-3 victory over Sacred Heart in Tuesday's Northeast Conference regular season finale.

The Bulldogs (10-4, 5-1 NEC) were paced by their midfield, as junior Ryan Sharpe (Poway, Calif.) led the way offensively with a hat trick. Senior Collins Gantz (Denver, Colo.) netted two goals and added an assist and junior Tom Forsberg (Huntington, N.Y.) tallied a goal and two helpers.

The defense caused nine turnovers, led by Chas South (Lincroft, N.J.) with four, long-stick mid Cody O'Donnell (Smithfield, R.I.) with three and Kyle Mummau (Carlsbad, Calif.) with two. Senior netminder Gunnar Waldt (Freeland, Md.) was sensational between the pipes, making 11 stops and not allowing a goal until late in the fourth.

"I'm really pleased with the way we played defensively over the last couple of games," said Bryant head coach Mike Pressler. "To shut them out on their field for the majority of the game was sensational and the defensive efforts, led by Gunnar Waldt, were outstanding today."

Freshman Max Tuttle was able to cage a pair of goals late in the fourth to lead the Pioneers (2-13, 0-5). Alex Dodge scored the other goal, and Bryce Jurk and Brian Masi each had an assist. Greg Price was sound in net for the hosts, making 12 stops in a losing effort.

The style and theme of the game was established early in the opening period, as both teams had difficulties holding onto the ball. Forsberg was able to find the back of the net five minutes into the game on a rocket from the point, but it would take the Bulldogs eight minutes to net their next score. Sharpe scored his first at the 1:37 mark, and after the ensuing faceoff win, sophomore attack Cam Ziegler (Carlsbad, Calif.) scored just 16 seconds later to give the visitors a 3-0 lead after one.

"It was very disappointed with how we played offensively the entire game," said Pressler. "We were just too careless at times, we didn't value the ball and there were a lot of poor shot selections which allowed it to be a close game for much of the night."

Ziegler was the only attackman to produce, as it was a difficult night for them and the offense as a whole. Despite the offensive struggles and the 23 turnovers in the game, the defense was lights. Gantz caged his first just two minutes into the second half and was involved with all three of Bryant's goals in the third quarter He soared high for a ground ball and fed an open Jake Pellegrino (Glen Rock, N.J.) who sent a winder into the net with 4:38 to play. Gantz netted his second with 55 seconds remaining, giving the visitors a 7-0 lead at the end of three.

"I think Collins really stepped up and he was the one guy that gave us the spark we needed on offense, especially in that second half," said Pressler.

After going 5-for-6 at the X in the first half, sophomore Kenny Massa (Huntington, N.Y.) was a man possessed in the second half, and gave his team plenty of opportunities to add to the lead by going a perfect 10-for-10 at the faceoff. The winning percentage is a career best for Massa, and the nine ground balls tied for the second most of his career.

"Kenny had the best game of his career at the X," said Pressler. "He's getting better and better and he works at it every day. I couldn't be happier for Kenny with the nine ground balls, he had a couple shot attempts, and as we finish the regular season he finishes with his best game to date."

Sharpe caged his third at the 8:18 mark of the fourth period to cap off the 8-0 run across three and a half frames. Tuttle caged the first two goals for the Pioneers in a 50 second spurt, making it 8-2 with just under five minutes to play. Dodge scored at the 4:15 mark to give the host fans something to cheer about late in the game, but it was too little too late.

The Bulldogs finish the regular season at 10-4 and 5-1 in the league, and will now have eight days in between games before the NEC Tournament begins on Thursday, May 5th. As for where the tournament will be played and who the Bulldogs will face, that is still up in air. The Bulldogs are currently in second place due to St. Joseph's owning the tie breaker. But the Hawks have one more contest against Mount St. Mary's on Saturday, which will determine whether they host the tourney for a third-straight season or if it will return to Smithfield for the first time since 2013.

"We intend to treat this Saturday as our bye week and it has worked well for us these last couple of years," said Pressler. "Over the course of the next five days we will take some time off to get mentally and physically prepared for whoever we will face, focus on academics and not have to worry about our next NEC opponent until next week."