Bryant, Saint Joseph's meet in NEC title Saturday

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The third-seeded Bryant University men's lacrosse team faces top-seeded Saint Joseph's in the Northeast Conference Championship on Saturday afternoon in Philadelphia. Faceoff is set for 1:00 p.m.

Saturday's game will be streamed live on NECFrontRow.com and ESPN3.

Bryant will be making its sixth appearance in the NEC Championship, having won each of its previous five appearances (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017). The Bulldogs are 11-3 all-time in the NEC Tournament, having faced Saint Joseph's in the 2015 title game. The winner of Saturday's game will earn the NEC's automatic bid to the 2021 NCAA Championships. The NCAA Selection Show will take place Sunday night, May 9, at 9:00 p.m. EST on ESPNU. 

The Particulars
Opponent: Saint Joseph's
Location: Sweeney Field (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Date and Time: Saturday, May 8 – 1:00 p.m.
Watch: ESPN3 
Live Stats: Saturday
Game Notes: Bryant
Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | #GoBryant | #NECMLax 

THE SERIES
Bryant and Saint Joseph's will be meeting for the 11th time in program history. The Hawks own a 6-4 lead in the all-time series following a 13-5 victory earlier this season. Bryant and St. Joe's have meet once before in the NEC Tournament, the 2015 NEC title game.   

SCOUTING THE HAWKS
Saint Joseph's enter Saturday on a nine-game winning streak and ranked No. 19 in the nation. The Hawks allow less than 10 goals per game and have one of the nation's best faceoff men in Zach Cole. Matt Bohmer leads the team with 30 goals, while Matt Tufano leads the team in points. 

BRYANT NOTES AND NOTABLES

• The Bulldogs enter Saturday at 8-3 overall following a 14-12 victory over Hobart on Wednesday.  
• Bryant is 5-0 all-time in NEC title games. The Bulldogs have won titles in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2017.
• Bryant qualified for the NCAA Tournament in 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2017. 
• Bennett Abladian and Aidan Goltz combined to score eight goals and Luke Caracciolo made 17 saves in the victory.
• Abladian leads the Bulldogs with 27 goals and has scored 14 in his last three games. He has netted five goals in each of his last two.
• In addition to Abladian's 27, Bryant's true freshmen have combined for 63 of the team's 150 goals (42 percent). 
• Marc O'Rourke missed the first eight games of the year but has recorded 18 points (16g, 2a) in the last three games.  
• O'Rourke became just the fourth player in DI program history to reach the 100-goal mark, entering Saturday with 107.  
• Logan McGovern leads Bryant with 39 points.  
• Bryant's defense continues to be led by LaJhon Jones, Brody Rule and Ryan Baker. The trio has combined for 62 ground balls and 39 caused turnovers.

Follow Bryant University men's lacrosse on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to get an inside look at the program.