Bryant heads to Staten Island for Saturday matchup against Wagner (1p)

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Bryant University men's lacrosse team continues Northeast Conference play with a trip to Staten Island Saturday, as the Bulldogs face off against Wagner College at 1 p.m.

The Bulldogs (5-5, 1-1 NEC) have dominated the Seahawks (5-5, 0-1) over the last eight seasons, posting a perfect 8-0 mark since first matching up in 2009. The closest contest came in 2015, when Bryant topped Wagner, 5-3, in the lowest-scoring affair of the series.

After starting the 2017 season just 1-3, the Seahawks have gone 4-2 dating back to the beginning of March and will be looking to even their conference mark at 1-1 Saturday afternoon. Junior Andrew Streilein leads the way with 26 points off 14 goals and 12 assists, pacing the side in all three categories. Joe Lomeli (13 goals), Dominic Branda (11), Nick Ancona (10) and Paul DeVita (10) follow in the scoring depth chart, rounding out the double-digit goal and double-figure point getters for the Seahawks.

Wagner boasts one of the top defensemen in the league in Andrew Park, who ranks sixth nationally with 2.3 caused turnovers per game. He also leads the team with 32 ground balls, with faceoff specialist Anthony Labetti right behind with 21. Labetti (38-of-96) is one half of Wagner's faceoff tandem, alongside sophomore Nick Warren (40-87).

Inside the crease, sophomore Matt Sefcik has been strong for the Seahawks, posting a .556 save percentage ranked 16th in the nation and second in the conference. Sefcik averages 10.50 save per game with a 9.17 goals against average entering Saturday's bout. As a unit, Wagner's stingy defense has let up just 8.80 goals per game, tying the Bulldogs atop the NEC.

TUCKERED OUT
Senior Tucker James (Essex Fells, N.J.) is in the midst of another exceptional season leading the Bulldog attack, ranking 15th on the Division I circuit in points per game (4.40) and 20th in goals per outing (2.60). But this trend doesn't just span the 2017 season. James enters Saturday's matchup with the fifth-most career goals of any active Division I player (124), ranks sixth among active players in points (200) and ranks seventh among all DI participants in career assists (76). Across active players in all three NCAA divisions, the senior ranks 12th in points, 15th in goals and 21st in assists. James also became the DI leader in points in last Saturday's win over Saint Joseph's (4th in program history).

JAMES vs. THE SEAHAWKS
James has been unstoppable in his three previous games against Wagner, amassing 21 points off 11 goals and 10 assists. He netted the game winner in 2015 and has collected nine ground balls against the Seahawks in his career.

CAUSE AND EFFECT
Senior longpole Cody O'Donnell (Smithfield, R.I.) also boasts a top-tier career ranking and, with 53 career caused turnovers, ranks sixth among all active players across all three NCAA divisions. O'Donnell enters Saturday's game with eight caused turnovers on the year.

FACE IN THE CROWD
Junior faceoff specialist Kenny Massa (Huntington, N.Y.) has been one of the most consistent and reliable forces for the Black and Gold this season, particularly over the last six contests. Dating back to a Feb. 28 outing against then-No. 19 Boston University, Massa has gone an impressive 83-of-126 at the X for a 65.9 percent success rate. The junior has won more than 50 percent of his faceoffs in all six games, including a season-high .769 clip (10-13) against Mount St. Mary's March 18. He has converted at better than 60 percent four times and better than 70 percent three times during the stretch, and posted a career-high 16 ground balls against Siena on March 13 (25-34).