Four Bulldogs selected as NEILA All-New England honorees

AMHERST, Mass. – Four members of the Bryant University men's lacrosse team earned New England Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association All-New England honors for the 2018 season, as announced by the NEILA Tuesday.

Senior Tom Kennedy (Farmingdale, N.Y.) earned a first-team selection, while graduate student Kenny Massa (Huntington, N.Y.), senior Anthony Johnson (Fairfield, Conn.) and freshman Marc O'Rourke (Hingham, Mass.) were tabbed as second-team honorees.

Kennedy tallied 20 goals, 11 assists and 27 ground balls in his senior year. The midfielder from Long Island recorded four multi-goal games during the 2018 season, highlighted by a career-best five-goal performance in a win at Brown April 24. Kennedy was selected as a first-team all-NEC selection earlier in May and chosen by the Boston Cannons in the MLL Draft.

Massa was one of the nation's top face-off specialists in 2018, ranking second in ground balls per game (11.33) and fourth in face-off percentage (.686). The Long Island native was a first-team all-NEC selection in a 2018 campaign in which he had the upper hand at the face-off in 13 of 15 contests while not recording a mark below 41 percent in any game. Massa was drafted by the Ohio Machine in April's MLL Draft and made his debut for the Machine Saturday.

Johnson was tied for the team lead with 11 caused turnovers and helped anchor a Bryant defense that allowed 8.33 goals per game in NEC play. The Bulldogs closed the regular season holding six of seven opponents to nine goals or less. Johnson, who finished his Bulldog career sixth in career caused turnovers with 58, was a first-team all-NEC selection and drafted by the Boston Cannons.

O'Rourke made an immediate impact as a freshman, scoring 33 goals and adding 15 assists along with 38 ground balls. The first-year Bulldog from Massachusetts opened his collegiate career with a three-goal game in the Feb. 3 win over Manhattan and began NEC play with 11 goals over two games in the March wins against Mount St. Mary's and Sacred Heart. O'Rourke was selected as NEC Rookie of the Year and earned first-team all-conference distinction.

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