BULLDOGS OPEN SECOND DIVISION I CAMPAIGN WITH BATTLE AT NO. 4 NORTH CAROLINA SATURDAY
Friday, February 12, 2010
BULLDOGS OPEN SECOND DIVISION I CAMPAIGN WITH BATTLE AT NO. 4 NORTH CAROLINA SATURDAY
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Bryant University head coach Mike Pressler doesn't intend to go easy on his players during the Bulldogs' transition to full Division I status.
He made that clear last season, putting together a schedule packed with five nationally ranked opponents, eight road games and constant challenges from stronger and more experienced competition. Things are no different in 2010, as the Bulldogs unveil another back-breaking slate, one filled to the very brim with a never-before-been-done record 17 games this season. And for the second time in as many years, Bryant will kick it off with its toughest opponent of the entire campaign: lacrosse powerhouse and fourth-ranked University of North Carolina.
This Saturday in Chapel Hill (12 p.m.) will mark the first-ever meeting between the Bulldogs and the Tar Heels, and it should prove to be a season opener for the ages.
"With UNC waiting at the end of our preseason, the coaches have had our players' attention on a daily basis, to say the least," said Pressler. "We are all eager to begin our second year of this Division I transition, and why not do it versus a team that has national aspirations, just as we did against Virginia a year ago."
The Tar Heels (1-0) opened their season last weekend with an 11-5 topping of first-year varsity program Jacksonville and own a No. 4 preseason national ranking after advancing to the NCAA Quarterfinals in 2009.
The Bulldogs enter their 2010 opener having received one vote in the USILA preseason polls and without their top three scorers from a year ago in the now-graduated trio of Zack Greer, Bryan Kaufmann and Kevin Hoagland.
But the Bryant youth is ready to fill in those holes, and Pressler will have a pool of six capable replacements to plug in on the attack. Those ranks are led by sophomore Travis Harrington (Vestal, N.Y.), who saw minutes as the fourth attackman in 2009, recording nine goals and seven assists for 16 points on his rookie campaign.
Bryant also returns its top midfield line of Matt Larson (Cheshire, Conn.), Max Weisenberg (Long Beach, N.Y.) and Gary Crowley (Scituate, Mass.), who combined for 35 goals and 21 assists last season. They are expected to be significant contributors on offense with another year of experience and maturity under their belts.
"We really like our first midfield in those three guys," said Pressler. "They were really coming along as a unit last year. Matt Larson, Gary Crowley and Max Weisenberg will be our first midfield without question, and we will follow that up with a group of strong veterans in senior captain Bryant Amitrano (Valley Stream, N.Y.) and junior Evan Roberts (West Cornwall, Vt.) and one outstanding freshman in Rhode Island native Ben Sternberg (North Kingstown, R.I.) on the second line."
But arguably two of the most key retentions from last season are the Bulldogs' strongholds at the faceoff X and between the pipes.
Fifth-year senior Andrew Hennessey (Wading River, N.Y.) returns in his final season of eligibility to run the faceoff for Bryant once again. After seeing unbelievable success and posting eye-catching numbers in his first season of Division I action - he boasted a nation's-best .711 faceoff winning percentage with a 248-of-349 mark on the year and collected a team-leading 118 ground balls, good for third in the country - Hennessey will be integral in the success of the Bulldog offense, particularly against the high-powered offense of the Tar Heels.
"Andrew's debut in 2009 at the faceoff X was truly remarkable," said Pressler. "His numbers - 71 percent with 100-plus ground balls against the level of competition we went up against - and just his consistency throughout that 15-game season has made Hennessey one of the premier faceoff specialists in the country today."
Now-sophomore Jameson Love (Darien, Conn.) also returns to man the posts for the Bulldogs after a stellar rookie year that saw him post an 8.75 goals against average and a .559 save percentage in 15 games in 2009. Love could see his biggest test of the season right off the bat Saturday.
"This opportunity to open our season at UNC is a win-win for the Bryant Bulldogs," said Pressler. "This is our opportunity to compete against one of the very best teams in the game today, to do it on the road and, in the end, to get a great feel for where our team stands overall and for what we need to do as coaches to improve all aspects of what we do on the field."
But it can't just be parts of a team that take the field donning black and gold Saturday afternoon. Pressler knows that the entire team must be ready if the Bulldogs are going to get the job done against North Carolina.
"After watching Carolina on film from a year ago, there is no doubt," he said. "With the players they have returned, this team is ready to compete for an ACC title and a national championship in 2010."
The Tar Heels enter their second season under head coach Joe Breschi, who guided UNC to a 12-6 overall record in his first year in Chapel Hill. Carolina loses 15 letterwinners from last season, including a pair of All-Americans as well as its four-year starter in goal.
But Breschi's squad also returns 28, among them First Team All-American Billy Bitter and Third Team All-Americans Sean DeLaney and Ryan Flanagan. The Tar Heels boast a quartet of preseason Face-Off Yearbook All-Americans in Bitter, DeLaney, Flanagan and midfielder Jimmy Dunster, while Bitter returns to lead the way for North Carolina after a breakout sophomore season in 2009 (team-best 46 goals and 71 points).
Redshirt junior Michael Burns will oppose Hennessey at the faceoff X after the graduation of Shane Walterhoefer, while a number of freshmen look to make an immediate impact across the field, particularly in the midfield.
"Joe Breschi, who I've known for years, is one of the best recruiters and coaches in the game today," said Pressler. "In just his second year at UNC, he has done a great job at changing the culture of the Carolina program."
But Bryant has a strong core defense returning to offset the potent Tar Heel offense, and it is a unit that remains completely intact from last season's squad. Senior Matt Murnane (Rockville Centre, N.Y.) anchors the backline after finishing second in the nation in caused turnovers a year ago. His 43 forced miscues paced the Bulldogs and he will shoulder the task of covering North Carolina's top attackman.
Flanking him will be juniors Joe Rauchut (Philadelphia, Pa.) and Ryan Mahoney (Wading River, N.Y.), also 15-game starters in 2009. But the defensive ranks are decisively Bryant's deepest and most experienced ranks, with sophomore Tim Clinton (Darien, Conn.) and junior Harrison Tull (Annapolis, Md.) leading a long list of underclassmen ready and able to step in and contribute.
Bryant will be led on the field by its quartet of exceptional captains, from two-time captain Matt McAllister (East Quogue, N.Y.) and Hennessey, to Amitrano and junior longstick middie Anthony Iannello (Lake Ronkonkoma, N.Y.).
This will be the first meeting between the Bulldogs and the Tar Heels, who look to stay undefeated in their second game of the 2010 season. But UNC beware - Bryant just might sneak up on some teams, if the Bulldogs play to their full potential.
"One thing in particular we've emphasized is that we're really concentrating on ourselves," said Pressler. "With such a new and young team, we want to make sure the emphasis is on what we do and not what they do. And at the end of the day, if what we do is good enough, this will turn out to be a competitive faceoff on Fetzer Field."