12/11 Bryant visits St. Joe's in NEC battle Saturday at 2 p.m.

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – For the fourth time in 12 days, the No. 12/11 Bryant University men's lacrosse team will suit up this Saturday on the road, this time primed for a defensive battle against Northeast Conference opponent Saint Joseph's in Philadelphia at 2:00 p.m.

For the second-straight game, the Bulldogs (9-2, 2-0 NEC) will face off against an undefeated league foe in the 7-3 Hawks (3-0 NEC), but Saturday's contest will also pit two of the nation's top defenses against each other. Bryant enters the game ranked fourth in Division I in scoring defense (7.18) while Saint Joe's ranks eighth (8.33). Bryant, who is 2-0 against Saint Joe's all-time, will also be looking to extend its current winning streak to eight straight with a league win.

"We knew when the conference schedule came out that this Saint Joe's game was going to be our toughest game of the season in so many ways," said Bryant head coach Mike Pressler. "I have so much respect for what Taylor Wray has done at Saint Joe's. They are a tough bunch, especially at the defensive end, and they play like Taylor did when he played for me at Duke. But we expect not only a defensive battle, but a battle at every part of the rectangle."

The offensive battle the Bulldogs will see will pit NEC goals and points leader Ryan McGee against arguably the league's top goalie in sophomore Gunnar Waldt (Freeland, Md.). Waldt made 11 stops in Wednesday's 14-5 victory over Sacred Heart and has 133 on the year (12.1 per game) with a 7.19 goals against average and .627 save percentage in 2014.

Supporting Waldt out front will be starting defensemen Matt MacGrotty (New Westminster, British Columbia), Connor Dent (Havertown, Pa.) and Kyle Mummau (Carlsbad, Calif.), a trio that has never wavered as the starting close defense for the Black and Gold. As a unit, the line has picked up 63 ground balls and 23 caused turnovers this spring.

The Hawks offense averages 10.1 goals per game and is paced by McGee, who has more than twice as many tallies as the team's second-leading scorer. The junior has found the back of the net 25 times this season with a team-best 12 assists and 37 points in 10 starts, followed by 12 goals and four assists (16 points) for Michael Rastivo, who has appeared in just six contests.

"He's the known," Pressler said of McGee. "He is obviously a focal point for every team they've played, and, with that said, he's produced. He is without a doubt one of the top attackmen in the conference this year."

Mike Dougherty is the team's second-highest point getter with 20, coming off 11 markers and nine assists, while Johnny Simanski also chips in 11 scores.

The Hawks also feature a number of solid options at the faceoff X to oppose junior All-American Kevin Massa (Huntington, N.Y.). Danny Manning (20-35), Will Abbott (47-89) and Mike Lanham (50-87) all post winning percentages better than 52 percent, with Lanham leading the team in the ground ball game with 30. McGee (27) and sophomore defenseman John Winchell (28) are right behind, while Abbott has picked up 21 grounders.

Conversely, Massa has taken all but a single faceoff for the Black and Gold, boasting a .706 success rate (163-231) with 111 ground balls.

"Regarding the faceoff as well, it comes back to this being our toughest battle in conference," said Pressler. "Saint Joe's is very, very well coached at the X, and Kevin and his wings will have their hands full this Saturday."

The Bulldogs saw seven get on the board against the Pioneers Wednesday night and will look to continue to spread around the offense against the Hawks. Five players currently boast 20 or more points, paced by 25 from attack Shane Morrell (Glen Mills, Pa.) (18g, 7a) after the sophomore's four-goal outing at SHU. Senior midfielder Colin Dunster (Cos Cob, Conn.) boasts a team-leading 19 goals (3a), while linemate Alex Zomerfeld (Port Jefferson, N.Y.) paces the side with 13 helpers (9g).

Fans can watch Saturday's game at Sweeney Field at 2:00 p.m. live and free of charge at NECFrontRow.com.