BULLDOGS FACE OFF AGAINST CATAMOUNTS ON ROAD SATURDAY AT 1 P.M.
SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Bryant University men's lacrosse team will hit the road once again this Saturday to square off against the University of Vermont at Virtue Field in Burlington, Vt., at 1:00 p.m.
Both the Bulldogs (0-3) and the Catamounts (0-3) are fighting for their first win of the 2013 season, as Vermont returns home to host its first game since the season opener Feb. 16 and Bryant plays on the road for the second time in as many weeks.
"I think we have two very similar teams that have had a very similar month of February," said Bryant head coach Mike Pressler. "Both of us are coming off three very difficult losses. But our attitude remains positive — we have so much lacrosse ahead of us."
Despite opening the season with three-straight defeats, the Black and Gold have fallen to a trio of opponents ranked in the preseason top 20 by a combined five goals, most recently a 10-8 loss on the road at Bucknell last Saturday.
Bryant will be looking for more offensive production out of its top offensive threats against the Catamounts, as the team looks to gain some traction to open March play. But the Bulldogs will continue to rely on the strong play of midfielders Alex Zomerfeld (Port Jefferson, N.Y.) and Shane Morrell (Glen Mills, Pa.), who, along with senior longstick middie Mason Poli (Downingtown, Pa.) and starting attack Brian Schlansker (Glenville, N.Y.), each have four tallies on the year.
Zomerfeld has proven to be a playmaker already for the Bulldogs in 2013, pacing the side with nine points thanks to a team-best five assists to compliment his quartet of scores. Schlansker chips in seven points in three games, while Poli — the nation's top scoring longpole — has dished it off twice for six points on the year. Morrell and starting attack Peter McMahon (Wilton, Conn.) each have five points.
The player who has seen the most success this season, though, has undoubtedly been sophomore faceoff specialist Kevin Massa (Huntington, N.Y.). In addition to his .696 faceoff winning percentage that ranks fourth in the nation, Massa leads Division I in ground balls per game, scooping up 11.33 each time out (34 total). Massa has taken every restart for Bryant this season, going 48-of-69 at the X.
He will face Vermont's Andrew Muscara, who has taken all but one Catamount faceoff and boasts a .557 winning percentage. Muscara is also ranked near the top of Division I for ground balls, gobbling up 27 (9.0 per game) on the year, good for sixth on the national scene.
"Kevin has his hands full with No. 12," said Pressler, referencing Muscara's 10-of-16 clip against Massa a season ago. "Kevin's success at faceoff has been a luxury that we've enjoyed at Bryant since his arrival, but this matchup against his UVM counterpart Saturday afternoon is going to be very difficult."
Offensively, the Catamounts have gotten more than half of their 20 goals in 2013 from just a pair of scorers in Graham Horvath (7) and Drew Philie (6), while A.J. Masson has dished out the connecting pass four times for exactly half his team's assists. In total, seven Vermont players have found the back of the net in the team's opening three games, outings that include a 13-7 loss to No. 10 Colgate and a 13-5 loss at Providence College.
"Any good team is led by their attack, and that's where Vermont has gotten the majority of its offense this year," said Pressler. "I also know they have some middies who can really play, but — a lot like our middies — haven't shown the numbers yet."
Vermont's last tilt came Tuesday afternoon on the road against Dartmouth, where the Catamounts again let up 13 in a five-goal defeat. A trio of goalies have seen time between the pipes, with Dan DiStefano making a pair of starts and sporting a 13.25 goals against average and .458 save percentage.
Justin Rosenberg made 16 saves in his only appearance, but got the nod in the team's latest contest against the Big Green.
Bryant has played a pair of netminders in 2013, with rookie Tom Carey (New Canaan, Conn.) earning the start in the last two outings. Carey has 21 stops this season, ranking 18th in the nation in goals against average (8.69) and 25th in save percentage (.538).
Saturday's contest marks the fourth time these teams have met, and Bryant holds a slight 2-1 advantage in the series. The last time these two teams faced off was almost exactly a year ago, on March 3, 2012 in Smithfield, where the Bulldogs came away with a 15-8 victory.
But that was then, and no one is looking past this Catamount side.
"We all understand that Vermont is always a tough game for us," said Pressler, "especially in Burlington."
