Bulldogs host Sacred Heart in NEC opener

SMITHFIELD, R.I. -- With a spot in the top-20 rankings looming, the Bryant University men's lacrosse team puts its five-game winning streak on the line as it opens 2012 Northeast Conference action Saturday afternoon at home against Sacred Heart (1 p.m.).

The Bulldogs (6-2) enter the league opener just four days removed from a 9-4 victory over intrastate rival Providence College on the road and are 3-0 against the Pioneers (3-5) in the all-time series. Each of the last two meetings between these two sides have been fairly low-scoring contests, with the Bulldogs winning 9-7 and 9-4 in 2011 and 2010, respectively.

In 2012, seven of the Pioneers' eight games have ended in a margin of three goals or less, including all three Sacred Heart wins, including a 13-12 upset of then-15th-ranked Yale. The Pioneers have also taken wins over Manhattan College, 9-6, and Hartford, 10-9, as well as battled then-No. 14 Hofstra to a close game in the season opener despite an 11-9 final.

Sacred Heart enters Saturday's game featuring just a single double-digit goal scorer in Mike Mawdsley, who has netted 19 on the year. Leading scorer Cody Marquis follows with nine scores and 11 helpers, while Matt Gannon paces the side with 15 assists from which he gets all his points on the year.

Wagner's offense is sparked by faceoff specialist Stephen Kontos, who sits just better than 53 percent on the season with 98 wins on 184 attempts, but Kontos will have to contend with one of the nation's top faceoff specialists in Bulldog rookie Kevin Massa (Huntington, N.Y.). Massa sits third in the national rankings at 63 percent (109-173), having taken every one of Bryant's faceoff opportunities. Massa is also ranked tops among all Division I players in ground balls per game, having scooped up 61 on the year.

Massa jumpstarts a Black and Gold offensive unit that has thrived as of late and averages 11 goals per game over its current five-game winning stretch. The unit is paced by sophomore Colin Dunster (Cos Cob, Conn.), whose 19 goals are the third-most in the Northeast Conference and 3.0 points per game sit fourth in the league standings.

Junior captain Peter McMahon (Wilton, Conn.) is just a point behind Dunster with 23 on the year off 11 tallies and a team-leading 12 assists. McMahon chips in 2.88 points per game for fifth in the NEC, while junior transfer Cody Isdaner (Gladwyne, Pa.) has also posted 11 scores with five helpers to round out Bryant's top three point getters.

Senior goalie Jameson Love (Darien, Conn.) headlines the Black and Gold defense and leads the conference in every goalkeeping statistic, boasting a 7.84 goals against average and a .626 save percentage while averaging 13.38 saves per outing. Facing off against him will be Pioneer netminders Ryan Hughes and Zack Frank, who combine for a 10.75 goals against average and .506 save percentage. Hughes has appeared in seven of the team's eight games and posts a 10.06 GAA with 71 saves and a .526 save percentage while his counterpart has appeared in three contests in 2012.

Can't make it to the game? Watch LIVE on the Bulldog Sports Network at www.bryantbulldogs.tv or follow along with live stats at www.bryantbulldogs.com.