Showdown with Stony Brook up next for Bryant
SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Bryant University men's lacrosse team opens March with a strong home test from a red-hot Stony Brook team Saturday at Beirne Stadium.
The Bulldogs look to even their season record at 3-3 and put together back-to-back wins for the first time in 2020, building on the Black & Gold's best performance of the year last weekend in New York.
The Particulars
Opponent: Stony Brook
Location: Beirne Stadium (Smithfield, R.I.)
Date and Time: Saturday, March 7 – Noon
Tickets: Saturday
Watch: NEC Front Row (Matt Laboissonniere)
Live Stats: Presto Stats
Game Notes: Bryant
Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | #GoBryant | #NECMLax
SCOUTING THE SEAWOLVES
Stony Brook improved to 5-1 on the year with a 13-12 overtime win Tuesday over Sacred Heart in a neutral-site contest at St. Anthony's High School on Long Island. The Seawolves won in overtime for the third time this season with Caleb Pearson sending the fans home happy in all three contests.
Pearson leads the Seawolves with 15 goals on the year, while Tom Haun and Cory VanGinhoven have added 11 each for a Stony Brook team averaging 13.5 goals per game. Both teams have scored 10+ goals in all six of the Seawolves' games in 2020.
THE SERIES
Bryant is 2-3 all-time against Stony Brook after suffering a 9-8 defeat last March on Long Island. The defeat was the second in a stretch of three straight one-goal losses for the Bulldogs. The teams are meeting in Smithfield for the first time since 2012, when Matt Larson's goal in the second overtime gave Bryant a 10-9 win over Stony Brook.
LAST TIME OUT: BRYANT 16, MANHATTAN 5
A 5-0 third quarter and a seven-goal run from the second quarter into the fourth helped Bryant pull away in the Bronx last Saturday. Redshirt-freshman Logan McGovern (Darien, Conn.) erupted for eight points on five goals and three assists.
SO FRESH(MAN), SO CLEAN
McGovern matched Bryant's freshman single-game record with eight points in last Saturday's win at Manhatttan. McGovern is the fifth player in the Bulldogs' Division I history with a game of eight or more points, joining Tucker James - who achieved the feat four times - Marc O'Rourke (Hingham, Mass.), Zack Greer and Peter McMahon.
McGovern collected NEC Player and Rookie of the Week honors Monday for his five-goal, three-assist performance.
JAKE STARTS 2020 STRONG
Redshirt-senior Jake Buonaiuto (Miller Place, N.Y.) leads the Bulldogs with 13 goals and has added three assists in his first five games of the year, eclipsing his goal (3) and point (6) totals from 2019.
Buonaiuto, who had one career four-goal game entering the year, scored four times in each of Bryant's first two contests of 2020. He is the first Bulldog with back-to-back games of four or more goals since Marc O'Rourke tallied six and five in the first two conference games of the 2018 season.
MR. CONSISTENT
O'Rourke has recorded 106 points over his last 28 games with at least one point in every game - a streak that ranks 23rd nationally entering the week.
O'Rourke's 119 career points are tied with Alex Zomerfeld for seventh in Bryant's Division I history. His 77 career goals are two back of Max Weisenberg for seventh in Bryant's D1 era, while his 42 assists are three back of Tom Kennedy for seventh.
ON THE UP AND UP
McGovern has scored five man-up goals in his first eight contests as a Bulldog. McGovern, who notched two last season against Providence before a season-ending injury in the following contest, has one man-up goal in three of Bryant's last four games.
364 AND COUNTING
Head coach Mike Pressler ranks seventh among active NCAA coaches in all divisions with 364 career victories. Of those wins, 135 have come while leading the Bulldogs since 2007. Among active Division I coaches, only John Danowski (Duke) and Bill Tierney (Denver) have more career victories.
UP NEXT: NO. 3 NORTH CAROLINA
Bryant faces a top-five opponent for the first time in the regular season since 2016 when the Bulldogs travel to face No. 3 North Carolina Tuesday at 11 AM.
Tickets for the 2020 Bryant University men's lacrosse season are available HERE.
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