No. 19 Terriers capitalize on Bulldog miscues, top Bryant, 12-9, Tuesday night

BOSTON – The Bryant University men's lacrosse team brought the game back to a single score with a three-goal third but could never even out the scoreboard, as No. 19 Boston University handed the Bulldogs a 12-9 loss Tuesday night at Nickerson Field.

Seniors Tucker James (Essex Fells, N.J.) and Ryan Sharpe (Poway, Calif.) each recorded hat tricks for the Bulldogs (2-3), who saw four of their goals come with the man advantage. But the Terriers (5-0) got out in front early behind four multi-goal scorers and never looked back.

"We knew coming in that it would be a one- or two-goal game in the fourth quarter, and we made it that," said Bryant head coach Mike Pressler. "But we gave them too many opportunities down the stretch."

Facing a 6-2 halftime deficit, the Bulldogs came out in the third a more settled unit, extending offensive possessions in an effort to expose holes in a top-ranked BU defensive unit.

The adjustment paid off in big ways in the third, where the Bulldogs outscored the hosts, 3-0, to cut the game to one, 6-5, entering the final 15 minutes of play.

"We had a very good halftime," said Pressler. "Being four down at the half, we knew if we cut into the lead by two or three goals that it would be game on, and that's exactly what happened."

Redshirt-freshman Jake Buonaiuto (Miller Place, N.Y.) got the stretch going with a winding shot into side netting with the shot clock applied, cutting the deficit to three with 11:33 to go in the third. Junior midfielder Tom Kennedy (Farmingdale, N.Y.) would wind up and fire a bullet from 15 yards straight out 41 seconds later to cut the margin to two, and a sidearm shot from Sharpe found space to the left of standout BU goalie Christian Carson-Banister to swing momentum temporarily in the Bulldogs' favor and cut the score to 6-5.

The Bulldog defense stood tall throughout the stanza, limiting the Terriers to just six shots.

But in the fourth, the Terriers took that momentum back in a hurry. James Burr (2 goals, 1 assist) got things started with 11:01 left on the clock, and the Terriers would capitalize on a Bryant turnover in the middle of the field 20 seconds later for a 3-on-2 opportunity that Jack Wilson (3 goals) slipped in just below the crossbar for an 8-5 lead.

Sharpe brought it back to two with the man-advantage for his second tally of the day at the 8:22 mark, but BU longpole Drew Lukacs responded on the very next faceoff, winning the ball and firing it home to renew the three-goal edge, 9-6.

The Terrier lead would extend to four midway through the frame, and while James would close the gap to three once more with 5:23 remaining, Cal Dearth (2 goals, 2 assists) added a transition goal off a forced Bryant turnover two minutes later for the 11-7 lead.

Bryant would score twice more on either side of one final Terrier goal, but the three-score margin would stand, as the Terriers wrapped up the Tuesday night victory.

"Down, 6-5, early in the fourth, we made two tremendous mental blunders, one at each end of the field, that came back to cost us," said Pressler. "Against a good team, you can't make mistakes mentally, and that was the story of the fourth quarter for us tonight."

The Bulldogs were able to grab possession off the restarts throughout the first three quarters thanks to the play of junior Kenny Massa (Huntington, N.Y.), who was 10-for-14 entering the fourth quarter. But in the fourth – when the Bulldogs needed possession the most – that margin switched to the Terriers (7-of-11). Massa finished the contest 14-for-25 with six ground balls.

The Terriers outshot the Bulldogs, 37-36, on the evening and won the ground ball battle, 27-22. The Black and Gold went a stellar 4-for-5 with the extra man, but committed 12 costly turnovers. Junior goalie James Werner (New Rochelle, N.Y.) made eight stops in the contest, while Carson-Banister continued his impressive play between the pipes for the Terriers with 12 saves.

The Bulldogs will face another ranked opponent in their next contest, a 1 p.m. matchup against No. 7/6 Yale Saturday on the road.

"I think it's time for us to regroup," said Pressler. "It's a short week, so we'll take Wednesday off and then get ready to go down to New Haven and take on a team that is every bit as good as BU, if not better."

Saturday's game can be seen live on the Ivy League Digital Network.