Bulldogs host No. 8/7 Crimson at 7 p.m. Tuesday night

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Bryant University men's lacrosse team battles their second-straight top-10 opponent from the Ivy League when it hosts No. 8/7 Harvard on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m.

"Much like Yale, this is a very balanced team we are facing Tuesday with very few weak spots," said Bryant head coach Mike Pressler. "We really need to concentrate on us after Saturday's loss and the point of emphasis in our preparation for Harvard will be getting back to what we do."

The Bulldogs (3-2) were defended vigorously on Saturday when they were held to just four goals in a 14-4 setback to now-No. 4 Yale at the Bryant Track and Turf Complex. Senior attack Shane Morrell (Glen Mills, Pa.) paced the hosts with two scores, while junior attack Brett Baker (Ridgefield, Conn.) and sophomore midfielder Jake Pellegrino (Glen Rock, N.J.) each added a score. Senior goalie Gunnar Waldt (Freeland, Md.) turned away 12 of the 25 shots he faced, as Yale launched a total of 49 shots on the afternoon.

"Yale dominated us in every phase of the game on Saturday," said Pressler. "We need to put that game behind us with a quick turnaround against one of the hottest teams in the country."

Harvard (4-0) is fresh off an impressive 14-9 victory over then-No.4 Duke on Saturday afternoon. The Crimson have also showed resiliency through the first month of the season, winning each of the first three games in overtime including a double-overtime triumph over Holy Cross on Feb. 23.

The Crimson have been able to persevere in such closely contested matchups thanks to a veteran bunch that is comprised of 15 seniors, eight of which help make up their 12 point getters. Senior attack Devin Dwyer, a two-time Tewaaraton Award Watch List selection and Inside Lacrosse preseason All-American, paces Harvard with 25 points on the season off 14 goals and 11 assists. He leads the nation in points per game (6.25) while ranking fifth and sixth on the Division I circuit in assists per game (2.75) and goals per game (3.50), respectively.

"Harvard's attack unit might be the best that we will face this entire season," said Pressler. "They have three different players that are relentless and complement each other so well because of the things they are able to do."

The other two standouts on that unit are sophomores Morgan Cheek (18p) and Joe Lang (13p) whom have each registered eight goals, with the former distributing 10 assists. Lang, a preseason All-American, tallied 21 goals and seven assists as a freshman, while Cheek currently sits 10th in the nation with 2.50 helpers per contest.

"We will need to clamp down defensively against their offensive unit and we need to score at least 10 goals to put ourselves in a position to win," said Pressler.

Following stellar games from Morrell, senior midfielder Collins Gantz (Denver, Colo.) and junior attack Tucker James (Essex Fells, N.J.) against Hartford on Feb. 27, the trio was limited against Yale to a total of two points. James was held without a point for the first time in 31 outings, and the three will be needed to get the offense clicking on Tuesday night.

"Getting out of the gates with a strong start offensively is something that we haven't been able to do all year," said Pressler. "We need to do that against Harvard, get things going in the first quarter. We get these guys at home in the first night game of the season, and hopefully the crowd and atmosphere can help us jump out of the gates strong."

The Bulldogs surrendered 49 shots, 27 being on target on Saturday, as they were unable to create enough of their own chances to make Waldt's job in goal easier.

"It all starts with the faceoff creating more possessions," said Pressler. "Number 31 needs to get us going along with help from the wings, and we need to do a better job of taking care of the ball on our clears. We did not do either as well as we are accustomed to this past game."

The man donning No. 31 is Kenny Massa (Huntington, N.Y.), who went 5-for-19 at the X on Saturday and the specialist is converting 52 percent of his faceoff opportunities this year. The Crimson have used two different players at the X this season. Senior Keegan Michel has handled 54 faceoffs and is converting them at 42.6 percent, and freshman James Sullivan has tackled 42 chances at the X, as he boasts a 37.5 percent success rate.

Tuesday night marks just the second meeting between the Bulldogs and the Crimson. Harvard defeated Bryant, 7-5, in 2013, but this will be the first matchup in Smithfield between both programs.

"We have a great student body who does a great job supporting the lacrosse team," said Pressler. "It is supposed to be a beautiful night with spring break right around the corner, so I'm expecting a large home crowd cheering us on in a game of this magnitude."

The action against No. 8/7 Harvard can be seen live on NECFrontRow.com and followed along via livestats on bryantbulldogs.com.