Bulldogs set to take on #1 Syracuse Sunday in NCAA first round (7:30 p.m.)

BULLDOGS HEAD TO TOP-SEEDED ORANGE IN NCAA OPENING ROUND SUNDAY AT 7:30 P.M. (ESPNU/WatchESPN)

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – It's been a season of firsts for the Bryant University men's lacrosse team. And now, the biggest first of all was almost upon them.

"I'm not nervous, really, just pretty happy," said senior captain Peter McMahon. "This is something that has been in the making with our class for four years. I'd say we are pretty anxious to see where we're going, but the nerves? There really aren't any."

"I'm feeling great, it's a really cool feeling," echoed fellow captain Nils Thompson. "I'm not really nervous. You don't have to be nervous when you know you're in, so I'm more just excited to know who we are going to get."

The mood in the locker room was light, relaxed. Talk of golf and sunburns and last year's national championship game filled the void as the minutes ticked down to 9:00 p.m.

But at the first word from ESPN Selection Show host Anish Shroff – silence.

The Bulldogs wouldn't have to wait long. At 9:03 p.m., the first matchup of the 2013 NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse tournament was revealed, and the room erupted in a round of applause. Bryant, the Northeast Conference Regular-Season and Tournament Champs, would be taking on No. 1 Syracuse Sunday night at the Carrier Dome.

"There's nothing like it when you see your school up there in the bracket," said head coach Mike Pressler. "Wherever your name falls – there's nothing like it."

The Bulldogs listened intently as Syracuse head coach John Desko called in to Sunday's selection show. All the while, Bryant's President, head coach and Athletic Director stood nearly shoulder to shoulder at the back of the room, watching and listening.

Then, selection show co-host Paul Carcaterra mentioned Kevin Massa's name, and the room erupted once again, even louder than before. Massa could be Syracuse's Kryptonite, he said. The experts to either side of him agreed. Could they be right?

"Look at our game on Saturday and you can see how we controlled the pace and how Kevin contributes to that," said Thompson of his sophomore faceoff specialist, who leads the nation in both faceoff winning percentage (.713) and ground balls per game (12.39). "It's not just Syracuse – any team in the country is afraid of what he can do. But we're not going to do it any different. We're going to stick to our routine, and we're going to work hard."

"We have very good players at every position, but we have one player who has separated himself," said Pressler. "His gaudy numbers certainly jump off the page when anyone looks at our team, so we're not surprised by the hype regarding Kevin. But Kevin is so grounded. As great of a player as he is, he's that much more humble. He doesn't get caught up in any of that stuff."

As the rest of the tournament field was unveiled, and the reality of it all set in, the chatter in the room grew. Until around 9:45. It was then, with the decisions made and justified and the full field announced, that Pressler joined the conversation, literally, as the coach's voice poured out of the very television screen the players were all watching. And then, an even bigger eruption still.

But soon enough, the hour-long selection show was over, and the locker room grew silent once more, as the full weight of what this team had accomplished finally, truly and fully set in.

The first-ever NCAA Division I tournament appearance in Bryant University history. The first-ever NCAA tournament appearance out of the NEC. The season-long goal achieved, and now, a new challenge, a new goal waiting – looming.

"I'm more excited than ever now, knowing what the matchup is," said Thompson – who, it should be noted, was correct in his playoff prediction. ("I think that we are going to draw Syracuse," he said at about 8:30 Sunday night, "and that's really who I hope we draw, too.")

"Everyone talks about Syracuse being the hottest team of the country," he continued, "but we're playing well now, too."

And they are – the Bulldogs are 8-3 in their last 11 games, rebounding after a 0-7 start that saw six one-or two-goal losses, four of them to nationally ranked opponents.

"I am really excited to get ready and prepare for Syracuse," said Ben Sternberg, the last of Bryant's three senior captains. "We've waited for this moment not just this entire season, but our entire careers."

This was the team's goal all along, of course, to win the NEC's automatic bid. So with the milestone its strived for all year long finally achieved… now what?

"Advance," said McMahon.

Sternberg would elaborate.

"The goal was to get into the NCAA tournament, but our goal is always to be champions," he said. "You don't sign up to play if you're not trying to win the championship."

To say the Bulldogs are ready to show the nation just what they are made of would be an understatement, it would appear.

But what about their coach? After all, he's been here before – 10 times before, in fact. But not since 2005, and never with Bryant. No, this time was different.

"It's not even comparable," said Pressler. "Seven years ago, I never dreamed of being in this position again with any team here at Bryant University.

"I wouldn't say it's bigger, but there's so much meaning behind it on so many different levels," he continued. "To be the first team at Bryant to go to the Division I tournament, and doing it in just our fifth year, is something we are so proud about."

And so bring on the Orange, and bring on another first for the Black and Gold.

"First and foremost, the Carrier Dome is one of the greatest venues in lacrosse," sad Pressler. "It's a major league deal in that city, and it's going to be an exciting environment for our guys to play in, to put it mildly."

Another first – not only the Carrier Dome specifically, but any dome. After all, few stadiums rival that of Syracuse's home field. Still, the Bulldogs will not be intimidated.

"It's not about who is the best team," explained Pressler. "It's about who is the best team on that day, and that's going to be our motivation – to be the best team on Sunday."