Bryant hosts top NEC opponent Robert Morris Saturday for 2017 Senior Day (1p)

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Bryant University men's lacrosse team hosts a Robert Morris side that is still unbeaten in Northeast Conference action Saturday afternoon at the Track & Turf Complex (1 p.m.).

A win would secure the Bulldogs (7-6, 3-2 NEC) a spot in the 2017 Northeast Conference Tournament, while a loss would keep the Black and Gold's future uncertain. A Robert Morris (9-4, 4-0) victory would keep the Colonials alone at the top of the league standings, setting up a possible title showdown with Hobart in the final weekend of the regular season.

The Colonials rank atop the conference in multiple team statistics and rank inside the national top-20 in scoring offense (20th, 11.46 goals per game), points per game (14th, 18.46), ground balls per game (13th, 31.85), caused turnovers per game (5th, 9.77) and saves per game (4th, 13.15).

Alex Heger headlines the Colonials' performance in their top-ranked category, ranking third nationally with 12.69 saves per game and fifth with a .589 save percentage. And while the netminder sits behind Bryant junior James Werner (New Rochelle, N.Y.) in goals against average (7.97), opponents still average only single-digit goals on the year (9.26).

Offensively, Robert Morris boasts a diverse and talented scoring corps, with six different players registering double-digit goals. The group is led by 30-point scorers Matt Schmidt (26 goals, 7 assists) and Tyson Gibson (15g, 16a), with Adrian Torok-Orban just a single point off the pace and ranking second on the side with 22 tallies. In total, 21 different Colonials have found the back of the net at least once in 2017.

Trey Arnold has been the primary faceoff specialist for Saturday's visitors, and he enters Smithfield with a .455 winning percentage (131-288). Junior Kenny Massa (Huntington, N.Y.) – the NEC leader at a .587 clip (152-259) – will try to rebound from a disappointing performance against Hobart at the X to help jumpstart the Bryant offense against the league's top team. Massa enters the game ranked 16th nationally.

All-time, the Bulldogs are 6-2 against Robert Morris and enter Saturday's matchup having won the last five meetings dating back to the 2013 regular season. That stretch includes the 2013 NEC title bout – a 14-7 Bulldog win – and a 13-12 edging last season in Moon Township, Pa. Four games in the series have been decided by just a single goal.

Saturday's clash between the Bulldogs and the Colonials can be seen live on NECFrontRow.com.

SHOTS FIRED
The Bulldogs allowed Hobart to fire off 53 shots last Saturday in Geneva, the most shots a Bryant side had allowed since letting up 55 against Yale on March 1, 2014. The Statesmen registered double-digit shots in all four quarters. Bryant let loose 28 shots, just the third time this season the Black and Gold were held to fewer than 30 shots.

FIFTY NIFTY
With 51 points to his name and two games remaining in the regular season, senior captain Tucker James (Essex Fells, N.J.) is the first player in the program's Division I history to record 50 or more points in all four seasons and just the second to do so in Bryant's 18-year history. The only other player to achieve the feat is Jon Yuengling ('04), the program's all-time leader in goals (215) who ranks second all-time in points (284). James has recorded consecutive seasons with 51, 50, 55 and 51 points from 2014-17, while Yuengling registered seasons of 52, 74, 86 and 72 from 2001-04. James needs just a single point to move into third all-time in the program's career points list (207).

SENIOR CELEBRATIONS
Saturday's contest marks 2017 Senior Day, as the Bulldogs celebrate the careers of 12 seniors: Brett Baker, Tom Forsberg, Spencer Herman, Tucker James, Jared Kaden, Pearse McEneaney, Will Montero, Kyle Mummau, Cody O'Donnell, Graham Seuffert, Ryan Sharpe and Mike Tufano. The Class of 2017 has been a part of 41 wins and two Northeast Conference Championships entering Saturday's contest, also appearing in Bryant's run to the NCAA Quarterfinals in 2014.