Bulldogs fall to Catamounts in OT, 6-5

BRYANT DROPS HEARTBREAKER AT VERMONT, 6-5, IN OVERTIME SATURDAY

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Bryant University men's lacrosse team led, 4-1, at the half, but a third quarter dominated by the University of Vermont forced Saturday's game into overtime, where the Bulldogs would fall to the Catamounts, 6-5, in Burlington, Vt.

Vermont (1-3) scored all four goals of the third frame, keeping the Bulldogs (0-4) off the board to make up the three-goal halftime deficit and take its first lead of the game with 3:06 left in the session.

Zachary Ahmad would score the go-ahead goal, but Bryant junior Alex Zomerfeld (Port Jefferson, N.Y.) would even the score with the only tally of the fourth period, a man-up goal assisted by junior Matt Bletzer (Medfield, Mass.) with 10:42 remaining in the contest.

The 5-5 draw would hold through the end of regulation, but with 2:38 to play in the extra frame, UVM's Drew Philie would notch his only tally of the game, an unassisted score, to give Vermont its first win of the year and send the Bulldogs home still in search of victory in 2013.

The Bulldogs jumped out in front early with four uninterrupted goals before the Catamounts got on the board in the contest, taking a 1-0 edge after the opening 15 minutes thanks to the first of the afternoon from Zomerfeld.

Senior longpole Mason Poli (Downingtown, Pa.) netted his fifth score of the season 7:41 into the second in unassisted fashion, and Zomerfeld would take a pass from Shane Morrell (Glen Mills, Pa.) just over two minutes later to give the visitors a 3-0 lead with 5:20 left before the break.

Morrell would turn around and score a goal of his own at the 4:06 mark, but with 66 seconds to go in the half, A.J. Masson would snap the Bulldogs' run to put the hosts on the board for the first time for the 4-1 margin heading into the intermission.

Vermont's Andrew Buckanavage came out of the break with back-to-back tallies to pull the home side within one with nearly nine still to play, though, and teammate Graham Horvath would even the score at 4-4 with 7:08 showing on the third-quarter clock.

Despite the loss, the Bulldogs got another stellar day from their ace at the X in sophomore Kevin Massa (Huntington, N.Y.). Massa went an impressive 10-of-14 at the faceoff on the afternoon while also picking up a game-best 11 ground balls, just shy of his national-best average.

Bryant also received another strong performance from rookie goalie Tom Carey (New Canaan, Conn.), who picked up 11 saves in his third-career start. Catamount goalie Justin Rosenberg turned away 12 in the win.

On the day, Bryant won Saturday's ground ball battle, 26-22, while Vermont outshot the Bulldogs, 41-36, including a 4-0 edge in overtime. Bryant went 16-of-17 on the clear but turned the ball over 18 times to the Catamounts' nine giveaways. The trio of scores from Zomerfeld marked the junior's second hat trick of the year.

The Bulldogs remain on the road for the final contest in a three-game road trip and will take on Drexel in Philadelphia Saturday, March 9 at 1 p.m.