Bryant returns home to host Boston University Tuesday night
SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Bryant University men's lacrosse team begins a three-game homestand Tuesday when the Bulldogs host Boston University for one of Bryant's three midweek games in the regular season.
A victory Tuesday would be the 200th in Bryant's program history and the 100th as a Division I member. The Bulldog program started in 2000 and the Black and Gold began play in Division I in 2009. Bryant is 124-72 since head coach Mike Pressler arrived in Smithfield for the 2007 season.
THE PARTICULARS
Opponent: Boston University
Game Time: Tuesday, Feb. 27 – 7 p.m.
Tickets: BryantBulldogs.com
Watch Live: NEC Front Row
Live Stats: BryantBulldogs.com
SCOUTING THE TERRIERS
Boston University is 2-2 on the year with wins over Providence and Dartmouth and losses to Ohio State and Navy. The Terriers fell 10-8 to the Midshipmen in Saturday's Patriot League opener, as Navy scored two goals in the final minute for the victory.
James Burr leads the Terriers with eight goals on the year, while Chris Gray has added seven goals and six assists for a team-high 13 points. Joe McSorley has posted a 9.71 goals against average on the season while playing all but two minutes in goal.
The Terriers, who began play as a Division I program in 2014, went 12-5 last year and fell in the Patriot League semifinals to Army West Point. BU was ranked as high as No. 15 in the USILA poll a year ago.
THE SERIES
The Bulldogs and Terriers are meeting for the second consecutive season. BU took the first meeting last season in Boston, 12-9, at Nickerson Field. Tucker James and Ryan Sharpe combined for six of Bryant's nine goals.
BRYANT vs. THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
The Bulldogs have faced seven of the nine lacrosse-playing members of the Patriot League with a 6-15 record. Tuesday is the second meeting of 2018 with a Patriot League member, as Bryant fell 14-12 to Bucknell (2/10).
LAST TIME OUT: BRYANT 15, HARTFORD 10
The Bulldogs opened up an 8-1 second-quarter lead and withstood a Hartford rally for a 15-10 win Saturday in West Hartford. Seniors Cam Ziegler (Carlsbad, Calif.) and Tom Kennedy (Farmingdale, N.Y.) tallied five points each while junior Kevin Beimfohr (Mountain Lakes, N.J.) made seven saves in his first career start.
MASSA EXCELLENT FROM THE X
Graduate student Kenny Massa (Huntington, N.Y.) has recorded a .653 face-off percentage and 11.50 ground balls per game over the first four games of the year.
BALANCING ACT
Nine different Bulldogs have recorded a multi-goal game in Bryant's first three contests of the year. The Black and Gold had five players with two or more goals against Manhattan (2/3), Bucknell (2/10) and Hartford (2/24), with freshman Marc O'Rourke (Hingham, Mass.) accomplishing the feat in all three games.
CUP OF COFFEY
Sophomore Zach Coffey (West Newbury, Mass.) recorded two caused turnovers in each of the Bulldogs' first two games of 2018 and scored his first two collegiate goals in the game against Bucknell (2/10). Coffey has two goals, nine ground balls and five caused turnovers through four games.
BULLDOGS AMONG NEW ENGLAND'S BEST
Bryant has won 99 games since joining Division I in 2009 - the highest total of the 15 Division I lacrosse programs in the six New England states. The Bulldogs' .607 winning percentage over those 10 seasons ranks third in New England behind Yale (.672) and Brown (.624).
353 AND COUNTING
Head coach Mike Pressler ranks sixth among active NCAA coaches in all divisions with 353 career victories. Of those 353, 124 have come while leading the Bulldogs since 2007.
WINNING WAYS
The Bulldogs have reached double-digit wins 14 times in the program's first 18 seasons. Bryant has recorded 10 or more wins in eight of head coach Mike Pressler's first 11 seasons, including six of nine at the Division I level.
CONFERENCE CALL
Bryant has a 33-10 record in NEC games since the conference began sponsoring men's lacrosse in 2010. The 33 wins are the most by any conference team - eight more than Robert Morris - and the .767 winning percentage is the best of the five teams that have been NEC members since the conference's formation.
NEXT UP: YALE
Bryant continues a three-game homestand Saturday when No. 11 Yale visits Smithfield. The 1 p.m. start can be seen on NEC Front Row.
Bryant University Athletics has announced the Spring Sports Pass for the upcoming spring season. The Spring Sports Pass allows admission to all home men's and women's lacrosse, baseball and softball events for just $50. The Spring Sports Pass can be purchased by clicking HERE.
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