NCLL Season Preview
SMITHFIELD, RI – Bryant should be one of the top defensive teams in the New England Conference. Allowing 5.0 GAA during the fall, the Bulldogs defense is led by Aidan Hill (Algonquin), Dave Marani (Silver Lake), Michael McNeil (Medfield), and Ben Fein (Hanover).
Last season, Bryant went 7-3 and finished the year ranked #14 in the final regular season NCLL rankings. The club also made its 1st national playoff appearance and will look to keep that momentum going this season.
“The biggest strength on our team is our defense, which has many great players on that end who all communicate well and can lock anyone up,” club captain Michael McNeil said. “We have also been getting stronger on the offensive side of the ball as well near the end of the fall ball season. Players became more comfortable with each other as well as getting the offense rolling to score a lot more.”
Bryant lost eight seniors to graduation — four starters and two contributors on the attack.
But the club has new depth.
The attack is led by Spencer Peters (Wayne Valley) and Joseph Chiappetta (Middletown High). Sophomore Jason Consiglio from Bacon Academy will help lead the midfield with Harry Falowski (Joel Barlow) and Brian Wildman (Northbridge).
Several newcomers are also expected to make an impact, including Billy Gardner (Franklin High School) on defense, Vin Pesce (Westhampton Beach) in the midfield, and Keo Kiriakos (Masconomet) on the attack.
Long-stick midfielder Gerrit McAloon from Frisco, Texas, will also battle for minutes.
Bryant has key matchups against #12 Brown, newcomers Tufts and Babson as well as conference champion #7 UMass to name a few, Bryant will have to keep the momentum going forward as the conference is as tough as ever.
“Our most notable rivals are UMass who we lost to in the playoffs last year and Brown, who we always have a close game as that game always goes down to the wire” McNeil said.
Social Media:
● Be sure to check out the Bryant University Men’s Club Lacrosse team on Instagram at @bryantclublax for updates on the team and the season.
● Please follow @Bryant_Rec on Twitter and Instagram for updates on Club Sports, Intramurals, and the Fitness Center