Bulldogs crowned New England Champs by NEILA

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The lone remaining team in the NCAA tournament from the region, the Bryant University men's lacrosse team has been crowned the Division I New England Champions by the New England Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (NEILA) in its final poll of the 2014 season.

The Bulldogs (16-4) advance to this Saturday's NCAA tournament Quarterfinals against seventh-seeded Maryland after a 10-9 upset win over second-seeded Syracuse in the Carrier Dome Sunday night and enter the next round of the national tournament as the nation's leader in wins (16). Bryant's game against the Terrapins marks the team's 21st of the season, the most played by any squad this spring, as the Black and Gold are now 4-0 in 2014 postseason play.

The polls, which are voted on by a committee of coaches in each division, also features NCAA tournament qualifier Harvard at No. 2, as well as 2014 regular-season opponents Yale, Brown, Providence and Sacred Heart within the top-8.

The Bulldogs enter Saturday's NCAA Quarterfinal in Hempstead, N.Y., as the national leader in faceoff winning percentage (.698) behind NCAA-best numbers from junior faceoff specialist Kevin Massa (Huntington, N.Y.). Massa ranks first in the country at the X with a .708 mark and averages 10.95 ground balls per game to also pace the nation in that category.

Bryant also ranks in the NCAA top-5 in man-down defense (third, .786), scoring defense (fifth, 7.50 goals allowed per game) and overall winning percentage (fourth, .800), and sits sixth in the country in ground balls per game (34.65). Individually, sophomore goalie Gunnar Waldt (Freeland, Md.) has produced top-10 numbers between the pipes, ranking fourth in save percentage (.610), fifth in goals against average (7.52) and seventh in saves per game (11.68).

Saturday's NCAA Quarterfinal matchup against Maryland will face off at 12:00 p.m. LIVE on ESPN2.