Bulldogs host Pioneers with NEC hosting rights on line

BULLDOGS LOOK TO FLIP SCRIPT FROM LAST YEAR IN 2013 FINALE

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Surrounded by numerous storylines, the Bryant University men's lacrosse team wraps up the 2013 regular season as it hosts Sacred Heart on Saturday, April 27 at the Bryant Turf Complex.

First and foremost among those storylines is the battle for the Northeast Conference regular-season championship and the right to host next week's NEC Tournament. While the Bulldogs (5-10, 3-1 NEC) and the Pioneers (3-9, 3-1) are tied atop the standings, Bryant is in the driver seat and can claim the top seed and hosting rights with a victory.

It won't be easy for the Black and Gold, however. Sacred Heart garnered its first-ever NEC postseason berth this year behind a stellar junior class and a senior faceoff man. Juniors Matt Gannon (7g, 32a), Cody Marquis (24g, 8a) and Mike Mawdsley (24g, 1a) are three of the Pioneers' top four scorers, and senior Stephen Kontos has been great at the X. Kontos might be the best challenge Bryant sophomore Kevin Massa (Huntington, N.Y.) has faced all year, having won 64 percent (185-290) of his faceoffs on the year, good for fourth in the nation.

Classmate Matt King has also played a key role in the offense, adding 24 goals and 10 assists. In goal, sophomore Jon Flood has played a majority of the minutes on the year, posting .537 save percentage and a 10.37 goals against average.

The Bulldogs find themselves in a familiar situation on Saturday as they will have the opportunity to wrap up the regular-season title for the second year in a row. Last season, postseason hosting rights came down to a battle on the road against Robert Morris in the regular-season finale, as the Colonials erased a halftime deficit to defeat the Black and Gold and earn the top spot.

The Bulldogs will look to write a different ending this weekend, and it all begins at the faceoff X. The best faceoff man in the country, Massa enters the final game of the 2013 regular season as the national leader in faceoff percentage (.709), faceoffs won (241), ground balls (185) and ground balls per game (12.33). His gaudy numbers put him in position to set the NCAA Division I single-season record in both ground balls and ground balls per game. Massa needs just 10 ground balls to break the mark of 194 set by Denver's Geoff Snider in 2006. Snider also holds the mark for ground balls per game in a season, averaging 11.41 in the same year.

Offensively, Bryant will look to get back on track after being held in single-digit goals in each of the last two games. The Bulldogs have dropped both contests after claiming four-straight victories. In those four wins, the Black and Gold were averaging just over 14 goals per game but have scored a combined 16 in the last two outings. Redshirt-freshman Shane Morrell (Glen Mills, Pa.) took over the team scoring lead on Tuesday with a hat trick and an assist against Brown, giving him 25 goals and 14 assists on the year. He's one of four Bulldogs who have racked up at least 30 points, with Colin Dunster (Cos Cob, Conn.) (26g, 9a), Alex Zomerfeld (Port Jefferson, N.Y.) (22g, 13a) and Peter McMahon (Wilton, Conn.) (10g, 20a) right behind him. Redshirt-freshman Gunnar Waldt (Freeland, Md.) continued his strong play of late on Tuesday, making 14 saves against Brown. Waldt has allowed nine goals or less in each of his last four starts and has allowed double-digit goals in just one of his last seven appearances.

Bryant will also celebrate Senior Day on Saturday. The Bulldogs will honor a 10-member senior class that includes Teddy Mason, Cody Isdaner, Kyle Crowley, Ben Sternberg, Glenn Maiorano, Mason Poli, JK Poirier, Michael Rauchut, Nils Thompson and McMahon.