Bryant faces LIU with playoff seeding on the line

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Having punched its ticket to the Northeast Conference Tournament on Saturday, the Bryant University men's lacrosse team heads to Long Island looking to improve its playoff seeding on Tuesday afternoon. The Bulldogs will faceoff against LIU at 12 p.m.

Tuesday's game will be streamed live on NECFrontRow.com.

Bryant currently trails LIU by half a game in the standings with two to play. The Bulldogs are 4-2, while LIU sits at 5-2. Depending on outcomes, Bryant can finish anywhere between second and fourth in the league standings. The 2021 NEC Men's Lacrosse Championship begins on Wednesday, May 5 with semifinal games at the site of the higher seed.

The Particulars
Opponent: LIU
Location: Bethpage Federal Credit Union Stadium (Brookville, N.Y.)
Date and Time: Tuesday, April 27 – 12:00 p.m.
Watch: NECFrontRow 
Live Stats: Tuesday
Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | #GoBryant | #NECMLax 

THE SERIES
Bryant and LIU will be meeting for the first time as Division I opponents on Tuesday. The Sharks are in their second season of DI after the LIU Post and LIU Brooklyn campuses merged at the end of 2019. Bryant and LIU (formerly C.W. Post) met seven times at the DII level, with LIU winning five of the meetings. Bryant has not won in Brookville since 2004.  

SCOUTING THE SHARKS
The Sharks feature two of the league's top players in Richie LaCalandra and Will Mark. LaCalandra has posted 59 points (31g, 28a) on the year, while Mark has a .591 save percentage and has posted a pair of 20-save efforts on the year. LIU is coming off a tight 14-13 loss at Saint Joseph's on Saturday. 

BRYANT NOTES AND NOTABLES

• The Bulldogs enter the week at 6-3 overall and 4-2 in NEC play. Bryant snapped a two-game skid with a 20-12 victory over Sacred Heart on Saturday.
• Bryant qualified for the 2021 NEC Championships with its win on Saturday.  
• Bryant benefited from the return of Marc O'Rourke on Saturday as the senior notched six goals in his first game in over 400 days. 
• O'Rourke now has 97 career goals, just three shy of becoming only the eighth player in program history to score 100. 
• Logan McGovern also dazzled on Saturday, posting eight points (2g, 6a). The six assists are tied for the third-most in a game in program history. 
• McGovern now leads the Bulldogs with 30 points (13g, 17a).
• Bennett Abladian notched four goals in the win and now has a team-best 17 goals on the year.
• Bryant's defense continues to be led by LaJhon Jones, Brody Rule and Ryan Baker. The trio has combined for 54 ground balls and 36 caused turnovers.

Follow Bryant University men's lacrosse on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to get an inside look at the program.