#2 Bulldogs begin quest for fifth-straight NEC tournament title, Thursday against #3 Statesmen

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Set to defend its NEC crown and poised to make another run at the NCAA Tournament, the Bryant University men's lacrosse team will battle Hobart in Thursday's second semifinal matchup at 7:30 p.m. at Sweeney Field.

The second-seeded Bulldogs (10-4, 5-1 NEC) trounced the Statesmen (8-6, 4-2), 15-2, on April 23. Senior attack Shane Morrell (Glen Mills, Pa.) netted four goals and dished out an assist, sophomore mid Tom Kennedy (Farmingdale, N.Y.) netted three scores, juniors Tucker James (Essex Fells, N.J.) and Ryan Sharpe (Poway, Calif.) had a goal each with four assists and a two helpers, respectively, and senior mid Collins Gantz (Denver, Colo.) scored two goals and had an assist.

James, the All-NEC First-Team selection, will look to lead the charge, along with the All-NEC Second-Team honorees in Morrell, Kennedy and Sharpe. Netminder Jackson Brown made 14 stops in the 15-2 loss a couple weeks ago, but he allowed 14 goals as well. He will try to limit the Bulldogs in what will be the second-straight season that both teams have met in the NEC Semifinals.

Junior and All-NEC First-Team defender Arik Andreen will do his best to lead the Statesmen and restrict the Bryant offense on Thursday. Andreen, who finished second in the NEC with 1.50 caused turnovers per game, had none in the April 23rd meeting.

Though the offense scored the final 11 goals over the final three periods of the Bulldogs' Senior Day victory, it was the defense that led the way and has done so over the last three games. Senior netminder and second-team all-conference selection Gunnar Waldt (Freeland, Md.) made 10 stops in the first meeting with Hobart, as it tied for the fewest goals that he has allowed over his career. Waldt has made 33 saves in the last three outings and has allowed just 12 goals.

He and the defense as a whole have been playing at the highest level they have played all season heading into the conference tournament, as a trio of all-league selections with the long-pole aid Waldt. First-team honoree Kyle Mummau (Carlsbad, Calif.) and second team nods Anthony Johnson (Fairfield, Conn.) and Chas South (Lincroft, N.J.) have been relentless over the past three games and the three helped Bryant cause 12 Statesmen turnovers on April 23.

That sound Bryant defense will once again need to key in on a trio of NEC All-League selections. Second-team attack Frank Brown led Hobart with 38 points this season on 30 goals and eight assists, but he was held scoreless against Bryant in the first matchup. Senior mid and fellow second-team honoree Cooper Stefaniak was also held scoreless. The NEC Rookie of the Year, attack Chris Aslanian, was also shut down in that meeting, but he finished the year strong with two goals and two assists, as did Stefaniak, against Sacred Heart on April 30.

As all games begin, the matchup at the X will again be important, as sophomore specialist Kenny Massa (Huntington, N.Y.) will take his first crack at the faceoff in postseason play. Massa went 11-for-19 against the Statesmen and their duo at the X, one half of that rotating tandem being All-NEC Second Team selection Andrew Spallanzani. Massa finished the regular season with a dominant 15-for-16 effort against Sacred Heart in the April 26 season finale, and he'll be looking to carry that momentum into Thursday's contest.

The Semifinal battle can be seen on NECFrontRow.com, followed along via livestats on SJUHawks.com and followed along on twitter at BryantGameday. The complete Northeast Conference Men's Lacrosse Championship headquarters can be foundhere.