Bulldogs take on seventh-seeded Terps in NCAA Quarterfinals Saturday at 12 p.m.

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HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. -- The No. 19 Bryant University men's lacrosse team takes on the seventh-seeded and sixth-ranked University of Maryland in the quarterfinals of the 2014 NCAA tournament Saturday afternoon at 12:00 p.m. at James M. Shuart Stadium in Hempstead, N.Y. This is the Bulldogs' first appearance in the NCAA Quarterfinals after earning the program's first two Division I tournament wins last week. Saturday's game can be seen live on ESPN2.

THE SERIES
The Terrapins topped the Bulldogs, 13-6, in the first and only meeting of the series back on March 15, 2009 in College Park, Md., during Bryant's inaugural Division I season. No current Bulldog has ever competed against Maryland. 

SCOUTING THE TERPS
Maryland draws strength down the middle of the field from standout faceoff specialist Charlie Raffa (.676) and four-year starting goalie Niko Amato (7.17 goals against average) and has seen a balanced and talented offense lead it to a 12-3 record and at-large bid into the 2014 NCAA tournament. Mike Chanenchuk paces the Terps with 48 points off 30 goals and 18 helpers — all team bests — while rookie Matt Rambo is right behind with 35 points, including 29 goals. The seventh-seeded Terps advance to the NCAA Quarterfinals after a last-second goal from Chanenchuk that propelled Maryland past unseeded Cornell, 8-7, despite a 5-1 halftime margin favoring the Big Red. Rambo had the Terps' only hat trick of the contest, while Amato made eight stops. Defensively, Michael Ehrhardt's 28 caused turnovers pace the Maryland side, and he is one of three players with double figures in category. Maryland enters the game ranked sixth in both national polls.

BRYANT vs. THE ACC
Saturday's game marks the sixth meeting between the Bulldogs and a current member of the ACC and is Bryant's second-consective outing against an ACC opponent. The Black and Gold have faced four different teams within the conference, earning their first victory over an ACC opponent last Sunday with a 10-9 win over second-seeded Syracuse in the NCAA First Round. All-time, Bryant is 1-4 against the league, having taken on Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia and Syracuse.

HOW THEY GOT HERE: BULLDOGS STUN ORANGE, 10-9, IN NCAA FIRST ROUND
Bryant took home its second NCAA tournament victory in five days last Sunday in Syracuse, N.Y., upsetting the second-seeded Orange, 10-9, inside the Carrier Dome live on ESPNU. The Bulldogs never trailed in the contest despite ties at 1-1 and 7-7, as rookie attack Tucker James led the offense with six points (4 goals, 2 assists) and sophomore goalie Gunnar Waldt turned away 13 in the victory. Junior Kevin Massa went 14-for-23 from the faceoff X with 10 ground balls, while senior midfielders Colin Dunster and Alex Zomerfeld each scored a pair. The victory came just four days after Bryant topped Siena, 9-8, in the first-ever NCAA play-in game. The Bulldogs are now 2-1 in the NCAA Division I tournament in just its second postseason appearance.

QUICK HITS
» A Matter of Record: Bryant enters the NCAA Quarterfinals with a 68-38 (.642) overall record at the Division I level (six seasons).

» Postseason Success: The Bulldogs are 9-2 in the Division I era in postseason play (includes NEC and NCAA tournament).

» Fieldwork: The Bulldogs are 5-0 against the NCAA tournament field this year, earning regular-season victories over Drexel (12-6), Albany (12-11) and Richmond (9-6) while taking one-goal victories over Siena (9-8) and Syracuse (10-9) in tournament play.

» Know Your Limits: Backed by one of the nation's best in sophomore netminder Gunnar Waldt, the Bulldogs have limited opponents to single-digit goals in all but two contests this season. The only teams to break through to double figures were top-ranked scoring offense Albany (12-11 Bryant win) and intrastate rival Brown (13-11 loss).

» First Come, First Serve: The Bulldogs are 13-1 on the year when getting on the board first, but fall to just 3-3 when
allowing opponents to record the first score of the game. Bryant's only blemish when scoring first came in its season-opening loss at Colgate back on February 8.

» TV Stars: Saturday's game marks the program's first-ever appearance on ESPN2 and just its second televised game of the season after topping Syracuse on ESPNU Sunday night.

» On Equal Ground: Bryant is 1-0 in 2014 in neutral site games entering Saturday's quarterfinal matchup, having beat fellow NCAA tournament qualifier Richmond, 9-6, in Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., back on March 29.

» Keeping it Fresh: Bulldog rookie and starting attack Tucker James is the first frosh in the Division I era to reach the 50-point plateau in his inaugural campaign. He enters the NCAA Quarterfinals with 50 points off 30 goals and 20 assists.

PRESSLER IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
Eighth-year head coach Mike Pressler makes his 17th NCAA tournament appearance in 2014 and second since taking over the helm at Bryant University. Before arriving in Smithfield, Pressler brought his Duke program to the dance 10 times, including an appearance in the 2005 national championship, and prior to that led Ohio Wesleyan to three-straight NCAA Division III title games (5 tournament appearances). All-time in NCAA tournament action, Pressler is 19-16 (.543) with a 11-11 mark (.500) at the Division I level (Duke, Bryant). 

DOME-INATION
In last Sunday's NCAA First Round, the Bulldogs went into the Carrier Dome and came out with something rare – a win. In 27 NCAA tournament games played inside the Dome, the Orange lost for just the third time Sunday night and is now 24-3 in the fabled arena. Syracuse's only other losses came to North Carolina in the 1991 national semifinals and 2010 to Army. The Bulldogs are now 1-1 inside the Dome. 

WORKHORSES
The Bulldogs have been busy this season, having played 20 games already this spring entering the NCAA Quarterfinal, the most in the nation. The Black and Gold also lead the country in wins, with 16, and are second in road victories with seven, one behind Drexel. 

WALDT NAMED BALTIMORE SUN NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
After guiding the Bulldogs to one of the biggest upsets in NCAA tournament history Sunday against the second-seeded Orange, sophomore goalie Gunnar Waldt has been named the National Player of the Week by the Baltimore Sun. Waldt played a significant role in the team advancing to its first quarterfinal, as the 5-foot-10, 235-pound netminder made a game-high 13 saves in the upset, including eight in a pivotal fourth quarter in which Syracuse had 18 of its 38 total shots. The eight stops in the final period are the most the goalie has registered in a quarter in his college career. Waldt is the only goalkeeper to rank in the top 10 in Division I in goals-against average (fifth at 7.52), save percentage (fourth at .610) and saves per game (seventh at 11.7) in 2014.

SIX ADD TO POSTSEASON HONORS WITH NEILA RECOGNITION
Junior faceoff specialist Kevin Massa was named the New England Player of the Year for the second-straight season, highlighting six Bryant players named to All-New England Teams by the NEILA. A quartet of Bulldogs were awarded All-New England First Team recognitions, as senior midfielders Colin Dunster and Alex Zomerfeld joined Massa and sophomore goalie Gunnar Waldt on the top unit. Sophomore attack Shane Morrell and senior defenseman Matt MacGrotty were also recognized with All-New England Second Team nods. MacGrotty also earned NEILA All-Academic Team honors.

BULLDOGS IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
Bryant made its first appearance in the 2014 national rankings back on March 10 and has been there ever since, climbing as high as No. 12/11 back on March 31. That ranking marked a Division I program best. The Bulldogs are ranked No. 16 according to the latest Warrior/Inside Lacrosse Media Poll and No. 19 in the  most recent USILA Coaches Poll.

WHAT'S YOUR NUMBER?
Bryant is 4-1 against nationally ranked opponents so far in 2014. This season, the Bulldogs have earned home wins over No. 14/15 Bucknell (12-9) and No. 17/18 Drexel (12-6) and took home road wins over No. 13 Albany (12-11) and No. 4 Syracuse (10-9). The Bulldogs' only loss to a ranked opponent came against regional rival Yale, 9-8, when the Elis were ranked 12th in the country.

WINNING WAYS
With 16 victories in 2014, the Bulldogs not only set a new program mark for wins in a season, but reached double digits for the 12th time in the program's first 15 seasons. Bryant has recorded 10 or more wins in six of head coach Mike Pressler's eight seasons, including four of six at the Division I level. 

MASSA-IVE NUMBERS
After setting the NCAA single-season records for ground balls, ground balls per game and faceoffs won in 2013, junior faceoff specialist Kevin Massa has set an even more impressive record in 2014. On May 1 in the NEC Tournament Semifinals — just 54 games into his collegiate career — the third-year Bulldog broke the NCAA record for ground balls in a career, previously set at 553 by Alex Smith (Delaware) in 69 games from 2004-07. The Preseason Second Team All-American and two-time NEC Player of the Year enters Saturday's NCAA Quarterfinal with 587 ground balls to his name. 

YOU'VE GOT COMPANY
Sophomore goalie Gunnar Waldt and junior faceoff specialist Kevin Massa have consistently posted numbers that rank in the nation's top-10 throughout the 2014 season. Saturday, though, the pair will face off against Maryland counterparts who rank right alongside them. Waldt enters the contest ranked in the top-10 in save percentage (fourth), goals against average (fifth) and saves per game (seventh), while Terp netminder Niko Amato ranks third in goals against average and eight in save percentage. Likewise, while Massa leads the nation in both faceoff winning percentage (.708) and ground balls per game (10.95), Maryland specialist Charlie Raffa is right on his tail, posting the country's second-best success rate at the X (.676) while also ranking 10th in ground balls per outing (7.92). 

MIGHTY MASSA
The top ground ball man in the nation again in 2014, junior faceoff specialist Kevin Massa has once again eclipsed the single-season 200-ground ball mark, entering Saturday's game with 219. Last season, Massa became the first player in NCAA Division I history to surpass 200 grounders in a single campaign, setting a new NCAA record with 231 at year's end. As a team, the Bulldogs are currently ranked sixth in the nation and average 34.65 ground balls per contest, with nearly 11 a game coming from Massa alone. Massa also leads the nation in faceoff winning percentage at 70.8 percent. 

YOU SOUND LIKE A BROKEN RECORD
With his 14-save performance against Siena in last Wednesday's NCAA play-in, sophomore goalie Gunnar Waldt set a new Bryant record for saves in a season and enters the NCAA Quarterfinals with 222 on the year after posting 13 stops against the Orange. He is just the second Bryant player to top the 200-save mark in a single campaign and broke Jameson Love's record of 204 set in 2012. Senior midfielder Colin Dunster set the program's Division I record for career goals (109) already this spring, while he and fellow senior captain Alex Zomerfeld broke the all-time program mark for career appearances (74) during NCAA tournament play. 

POLE POWER
Just a redshirt-freshman, longstick midfielder and local product Cody O'Donnell led the nation in longpole scoring this season, firing home 10 goals — eighth most on the Bryant side. O'Donnell added four assists to his season numbers for 14 total points, a number that ranks second in the nation among longpoles behind Villanova senior John LoCascio (18 points). For his career, the NEC All-Rookie Team selection has 15 points, good for eighth among all longpoles in the Division I ranks this season. In 2014, Bryant is 8-1 when O'Donnell records a point.