#19 Bryant tackles #20 Yale Friday night

No. 19 Bryant set for showdown at No. 20 Yale Friday night

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – In a battle of two nationally ranked teams, the Bryant University men's lacrosse team tackles No. 20 Yale on Friday night at Reese Stadium for a 7 p.m. non-conference matchup in New Haven, Conn.

Bryant enters the showdown in the midst of a 10-game unbeaten streak and boasts an overall record of 11-2, while Yale has won five straight and stands at 7-4 on the year.

The meeting will be a rematch of a thrilling contest played in 2011. That time around, Yale – ranked 14^th in the nation at the time – overcame the Black and Gold, 9-8, at the Bryant Track and Turf Complex. Greg Mahony led Yale with three tallies and four points while Brian Douglass followed with two goals and two assists in that meeting.

Both sides have shined on the defensive end through the 2012 season. Ranked sixth nationally in faceoff percentage, Yale's faceoff specialist Dylan Levings (.595) returns to the X after taking 178 of his team's 263 attempts this season, winning 113 of them.

His counterpart, Bryant rookie sensation Kevin Massa (Huntington, N.Y.), is a seven-time Northeast Conference Rookie of the Week selection and ranks fourth nationally in faceoff percentage (.646). Massa's 8.08 ground balls per game average is also good for second most in the country.

For Yale, sophomore goalie Jack Meyer, who has seen over 525 minutes in net this spring, will hope to keep a potent Bryant attack out of the net. Meyer has garnered 61 stops and boasts a .452 save percentage on the season and sports an 8.44 goals-against average on the year.

Goaltender Jameson Love (Darien, Conn.) returns between the pipes for the Bulldogs looking to add to his already impressive senior season. Love has held his own among the nation's best this spring, as the senior ranks third in save percentage (.614), fourth in saves per game (12.0) and ninth in goals-against average (7.45).

While defense will be a key on Friday night, both offensive units pose a threat as well. Yale's senior Matt Gibson leads his squad with a team-high 37 points on the season (24-13--37) with rookie Conrad Oberbeck close behind with 18 goals and six assists. Fellow double-digit scorers Brandon Mangan (26), Gregory Mahony  (20) and Deron Dempster (19) will look to factor in to the Yale offense, as well.

The Black and Gold will turn to sophomore Colin Dunster (Cos Cob, Conn.) and his team-leading 27 markers to boost the Bulldog attack. Joining Dunster is junior Peter McMahon (Wilton, Conn.), who leads the team with 38 total points (18-20--38). Senior Max Weisenberg (Long Beach, N.Y.) and sophomore Alex Zomerfeld (Port Jefferson, N.Y.) each have netted 13 tallies and nine assists, respectively.