Monday, February 16, 2009
HOAGLAND NETS TWO, BULLDOGS FALL IN
DIVISION I OPENER, 10-4, TO TOP-RANKED VIRGINIA MONDAY
AFTERNOON
Boxscore
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - The world of sports rarely sees a David
vs. Goliath matchup like this one. Bryant University, in its
first-ever Division I contest, took on the nation's top-ranked team
in the University of Virginia. And while there was no great upset
on the horizon for the Bulldogs - a 10-4 loss was the result - the
Bryant University men's lacrosse team proved it was truly ready for
what is to come.
"We accomplished our first objective," said third-year head
coach Mike Pressler. "We were competitive for four quarters and I'm
extremely pleased."
The Bulldogs (0-1) hung with the offensive-minded Cavaliers
(2-0) throughout the contest, getting outshot just 33-30, and
outshooting Virginia in the second period, 9-8.
"We had some good scoring opportunities, in the first half
especially, that we just didn't put away," said Pressler. "And give
credit to Virginia. But we had chances to make it closer than the
score showed."
Virginia jumped out to a 2-0 lead early in the first period off
goals from highly touted frosh Steele Stanwick, who would bookend
the contest with his pair of goals, and Steve Giannone before
Bryant senior captain Kevin Hoagland (Glastonbury,
Conn.) cut the visitors' deficit in half, 2-1, with a goal
with 4:49 to play in the opening period.
But the Cavaliers would get the goal back just over a minute
later when Brian Carroll made good on a man-up opportunity off a
dish from Shamel Bratton. His goal would be the first of four
Cavalier tallies that answered Hoagland's score.
But Hoagland would strike again with 8:08 to play in the first
half, recording his second goal of the contest just 12 seconds
after Carroll made the score 6-1 in Virginia's favor.
The teams traded goals for the remainder of the half, with
sophomore Gary Crowley (Scituate, Mass.) scoring a
man-up tally for Bryant with 3:06 left, before UVA capped off the
period with a final goal, this one from attackman Garrett Billings.
The Bulldogs matched the Cavaliers shot for shot, 19-19, in the
half, with freshman goalkeeper Jameson Love (Darien,
Conn.) turning away five shots on goal in the first 30
minutes of his collegiate debut. UVA goalie Adam Ghitelman made
seven of his 12 saves in the opening half.
"For a freshman, in his first career start, Love faired very
well in his opener as a Bryant Bulldog," Pressler said. The rookie
made nine saves in the game.
Down 8-3 at the halfway point, the Bulldogs dug in entering the
third, knotting the shots, 6-6, and allowing just a single Cavalier
goal for a 9-3 score entering the final frame.
"We played very good team defense 6-on-6," said Pressler. "They
hurt us in the middle of the field where Virginia is so potent in
the transition game. That's where they really hurt us."
Both teams got a tally in the final frame as Virginia outshot
the Bulldogs, 8-5. Bryant's fourth goal was unassisted and netted
by junior Bryant Amitrano (Valley Stream, N.Y.).
Faceoff specialist Andrew Hennessey (Wading River,
N.Y.) had a strong outing for the Bulldogs, winning
10-of-18 face-offs in the Bulldogs' Division I opener while
defender Matt Murnane (Rockville Centre, N.Y.)
picked up a team-high nine ground balls. Duke transfer and NCAA
all-time leading goal scorer Zack Greer (Whitby,
Ont.) also slipped nicely into his new role as a passer
and a playmaker, recording assists on goals by Hoagland and
Crowley. Matt Larson (Cheshire, Conn.) also
recorded a helper on Hoagland's first tally.
"Facing arguably the best team in college lacrosse, our guys did
well," Pressler said. "Now we take this as momentum, we build on
this one and we get ready to keep playing."
The Bulldogs face a big week ahead of them, starting with
Sunday's game against Sacred Heart (1 p.m.). From there, Bryant
will travel to Dartmouth on Tuesday, Feb. 24 (3 p.m.) before
returning to Smithfield, R.I. for their Division I home opener
against Wagner College, Saturday, Feb. 28 at 1 p.m.
