Bulldogs battle RMU Sat. for NEC crown

BULLDOGS, COLONIALS BATTLE FOR NEC TITLE, TOURNAMENT HOSTING RIGHTS SATURDAY AFTERNOON (1 p.m.)

MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. – With its first Northeast Conference title and the right to host the 2012 NEC Tournament on the line, the 20th-ranked Bryant University men's lacrosse team heads to the home of the nation's top-scoring offense to take on Robert Morris University in a battle of the undefeated, with the winner taking the regular-season league crown and a perfect 5-0 conference record into the postseason.

The Colonials (10-3, 4-0 NEC) average 14.38 goals per game and also lead Division I with 9.77 assists per outing. Robert Morris boasts a pair of 30-goal and 50-point scorers in Kiel Matisz (34 goals, team-high 56 points) and Jake Hayes (37g, 52p) and features five players with 25 points or more in 2012.

Dave Morton, Kyle Buchanan and Casey Abbott all fit into that category, while Saturday's hosts have seven players with at least 10 goals on the year and nine in double figures for points.

"We've played 15 games already this year, and Robert Morris is, without question, the best offensive team we've seen," said head coach Mike Pressler. "To try to hold those guys down is going to be a monumental task for the team in the black jerseys."

The Bulldogs (12-3, 4-0) will counter Robert Morris's offensive prowess with a stout and confident defensive unit headlined by one of the nation's top goalies in senior captain Jameson Love (Darien, Conn.). The active NCAA Division I leader in career saves with 631, Love boasts a 7.32 goals against average and .617 save percentage through 15 games in 2012.

"Jameson is going to have to make a lot of inside saves," said Pressler. "They are the best team we've seen at getting the ball on the doorstep, and if Jameson can do his thing, that is going to be huge for us and our success tomorrow."

Also battling to keep the Colonials' top scorers at bay are the Bulldogs' top defensemen, including junior Glenn Maiorano (Easton, Conn.), with 29 caused turnovers and 47 ground balls on the year, and sophomore Matt MacGrotty (New Westminster, B.C.), who boasts 17 forced giveaways and 24 ground balls.

Another key matchup for the Black and Gold will come at the faceoff, where eight-time NEC Rookie of the Week Kevin Massa (Huntington, N.Y.) will look to continue his impressive reign over the X. Massa enters Saturday's regular-season finale with a .640 faceoff winning percentage, good for third on the national scene, and 212 faceoff wins, the most in the league. He has also picked up a conference-best 120 ground balls in 2012 to average 8.0 per game, a number that currently sits third among all DI players.

Robert Morris will throw out Mike Grosz to oppose Massa, and Grosz has had a strong year of his own at the X, winning 54.9 percent of his faceoff opportunities (157-286). Grosz is one of four Colonials to take a restart in 2012, with Chris Barney serving as the primary backup on a 34-of-77 clip (.442).

A strong performance from Massa would give the visitors a huge advantage, jumpstarting a top offensive unit that features a pair of 20-goal scorers. Bryant boasts a well-balanced offense with 11 double-digit point getters and eight double-figure goal scorers. Sophomore Colin Dunster (Cos Cob, Conn.) leads the way with 29 goals (39 points) out of the midfield, while junior captain and three-year starter Peter McMahon (Wilton, Conn.) paces the side with 20 goals and a team-leading 23 assists for a side-best 43 points in 2012.

The Bulldog offense also features a less conventional wrinkle in the form of junior longpole Mason Poli (Downingtown, Pa.), who ranks third on the team with 17 goals, the most of any pole in the nation this season. Poli, along with Robert Morris's Matisz, was named a Tewaaraton Award nominee for his 2012 performance earlier this week.

"Mason, like a lot of our defensive middies, is someone we count on to create offense from the defensive end," said Pressler. "For us to win this game, Mason and those other DMs have to create coming out of our end."

The Bulldogs enter Saturday's game off their most potent offensive effort of the season in a 21-3 victory over league foe Wagner College. The winner of the contest determines the host of the 2012 NEC Tournament, as well as its top seed. Quinnipiac has locked in the tournament's third seed, and the final contender will also be determined Saturday with the winner of the Mount St. Mary's/Wagner matchup.

"To play your last regular-season game of the year with so much on the line is what you want as a lacrosse team," said Pressler. "Both teams have had great seasons, and the year is far from over. And at the end of the day, we will finally find out – do we play the NEC Championship in Pittsburgh or in Smithfield?"