Saturday showdown with Sacred Heart up next for Bryant
SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Bryant University men's lacrosse team opens April by hosting Sacred Heart Saturday in a key NEC contest at Beirne Stadium.
The Particulars
Opponent: Sacred Heart
Location: Beirne Stadium (Smithfield, R.I.)
Date and Time: Saturday, April 6 – 12 p.m.
Tickets: Saturday
Watch: NEC Front Row
Live Stats: Presto Sports
Game Notes: Bryant
Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | #GoBryant | #NECMLax
SCOUTING THE PIONEERS
Sacred Heart is 5-5 on the year with a 1-2 mark in the NEC. The Pioneers defeated Robert Morris before falling to Hobart and Mount St. Mary's in the first half of conference play. SHU's non-conference slate includes wins over Furman, Providence, Stony Brook and Hartford.
Joe Saggese leads the NEC in points (49) and is tied for the conference lead in goals (29) while ranking second in assists (20). Max Tuttle's 26 goals rank fourth in the NEC. Sacred Heart is averaging 13.2 goals per game in 2019 despite the Pioneers ranking 63rd of 73 teams nationally in face-off percentage (.399).
THE SERIES
Bryant is 12-0 all-time against Sacred Heart and 6-0 in Smithfield. The average margin of victory has been 6.3 goals in the 12 meetings.
In last year's meeting in Fairfield, Sacred Heart took a 7-5 lead with 3:34 remaining in the first half before Bryant stormed back to score the final 11 goals of a 16-7 victory at Campus Field. Marc O'Rourke (Hingham, Mass.) scored five goals and collected six ground balls, while Kevin Beimfohr (Mountain Lakes, N.J.) tallied 15 saves.
LAST TIME OUT: BRYANT 13, WAGNER 4
Wagner took a 4-2 lead early in the second quarter, but the Bulldogs outscored the Seahawks 11-0 over the final 43 minutes of the game for an NEC victory last Saturday on Staten Island. Sophomore Marc O'Rourke scored three goals and added two assists in the win.
1, 2, 3
Freshman Luke Caracciolo (Centreville, Va.) is one of five Bulldogs to win three or more NEC Rookie of the Week honors in his freshman season after earning his third Monday for his performance at Wagner.
Kevin Massa's eight NEC Rookie of the Week awards in 2012 lead all Bulldogs in the D1 era, while Tucker James collected five in 2014. Shane Morrell (2013) and Marc O'Rourke (2018) each earned three.
MAKING HIS MARC
Sophomore Marc O'Rourke ranks third in the NEC in goals (27) and points (39) entering the weekend. O'Rourke has scored 14 goals in his last four games.
SAVE THAT BALL
Eight Bulldogs have scored their first collegiate goals in the first six contests of 2019: senior Ryan Cerino (Greer, S.C.) and sophomore Sam Goforth (Chester Springs, Pa.) (Wagner), junior Jameson Buttafuoco (Sandwich, Mass.) and redshirt-freshman Nick Beeson (Poway, Calif.) (Stony Brook), redshirt-sophomore Andre Gomez (Melville, N.Y.) (Dartmouth), sophomore Pat Brosnan (South San Francisco, Calif.) and freshman Logan McGovern (Darien, Conn.) (Providence) and freshman Mason Balch (Westfield, Mass.) (Bucknell).
LUKE NOT A FLUKE
Freshman Luke Caracciolo leads all freshman goalies nationally in save percentage (.572) and goals-against average (9.51). Caracciolo's save percentage ranks 11th nationally among all goalies, while the goals-against average is good for 13th.
Caracciolo has made 14 or more saves in six of his first nine collegiate starts.
DYNAMIC DUO
Redshirt-freshman Jack Aigner (Brighton, Mich.) and junior James Stoler (Penfield, N.Y.) have given Coach Pressler two reliable options at the face-off X this season. Aigner ranks fourth in the NEC in face-off percentage at .587, while Stoler is fifth at .559.
NEXT UP: HOBART
Bryant plays its final road game of the regular season when the Bulldogs travel to Hobart next Saturday. The noon opening face-off can be seen on NEC Front Row.
Tickets for the 2019 campaign at Beirne Stadium are available by clicking HERE.
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