BULLDOGS BATTLE DRAGONS IN SEARCH OF SEASON'S FIRST WIN SATURDAY AT 1 P.M.
SMITHFIELD, R.I. — The Bryant University men's lacrosse team will take on its third ranked opponent in the opening five games as the Bulldogs travel to Philadelphia to take on No. 14/14 Drexel Saturday at 1 p.m.
The Bulldogs (0-4) and the Dragons (3-1) have split two previous meetings, each side stealing a one-goal victory at home. Bryant edged Drexel at the Bryant Turf Complex last March, 7-6, to avenge a quadruple-overtime loss, 8-7, on the road during the 2011 campaign.
The 2013 Dragons are off to a hot start this spring and have fired off three-straight victories despite dropping their season opener, 13-12, to then-No. 7 Virginia in overtime. Drexel is 2-0 at Vidas Field, earning wins over #16 Albany, 20-19, and a tough Villanova side, 12-10, and comes to Smithfield off a 13-12 victory over fellow Northeast Conference member Robert Morris last weekend.
"In all four games, Drexel was down in the fourth quarter, and in three of those games, they've come back to win," said head coach Mike Pressler. "So they've been a very resilient bunch, and they have confidence down the stretch in those one-goal games."
The Bryant-Drexel series has proven to be not only closely contested, but a series full of late-game runs, as well. Two years ago in Philadelphia, the Bulldogs entered the fourth trailing, 6-2, but scored the final four goals of regulation to force what would end up being four overtime periods despite the eventual loss. Last season in Smithfield, Bryant overcame a 5-0 halftime deficit, scoring seven second-half goals — including a stretch of four unanswered tallies in the final 12 minutes — to edge out the Dragons, 7-6.
"These games can be decided on these fourth-quarter runs — this series has proven that," said Pressler, "and we are expecting another battle Saturday."
Ben McIntosh and Ryan Belka have each tallied double-figure goals for Drexel with 11 and 10, respectively, while the latter leads the team with 18 points, having dished out a side-high eight assists. The Dragons, who average better than 14 goals per game this year, rank fourth in the nation in scoring offense while leading the Division I ranks in assists per game (9.50). They rank third in points per game (23.75) and have scored 10 man-up tallies in 2013 while allowing opponents just a pair in four contests — both averages that rank in the NCAA's top five in the season's early goings.
"They are very good on special teams," said Pressler. "Drexel is a team you don't want to foul, and if you do, they make it tough to keep them out. They are a well-coached bunch — they have great balance, they're good at the faceoff X, their freshman goalie is playing well, and they're attack is very potent. This will be as a good a team as we play all year."
At the faceoff, Nick Saputo and Deven Thomas will be the next challengers for Bulldog sophomore Kevin Massa (Huntington, N.Y.), with Saputo having taken 103 of the team's 120 restarts. He has a .495 faceoff winning percentage on the season and leads the side with 33 ground balls, averaging 8.25 per game to rank seventh on the national circuit.
Between the pipes, rookie Will Gabrielsen has played every minute of the young 2013 season and boasts a .495 save percentage with a 13.49 goals against average. He averages 13.25 saves per game, good for 13th in the nation, and has scooped up 17 ground balls.
Despite still looking for its first win of the year, Bryant also ranks well in the national statistics, currently sitting second in faceoff winning percentage and ninth in man-down defense. Individually, Massa also ranks second in DI at the X, having gone 58-of-83 (.699) on the year and coming off a 10-of-14 performance at Vermont. The sophomore also leads the nation in ground balls per game, averaging an impressive 11.25 each time out.
Rookie netminder Tom Carey (New Canaan, Conn.) boasts a top-20 ranking of his own with his .571 save percentage, picking up 32 stops in three starts and four appearances for the Black and Gold. He enters the contest with a 7.76 goals against average that ranks 13th overall.
Bryant's defense has been holding strong in front of Carey, limiting opponents to just 9.5 goals per outing despite averaging 44 shots, having forced 26 caused turnovers and allowing just two man-up scores in 11 tries.
But to get on the board in the win column, it is the Bulldog offense that will have to start showing their skill in the numbers. Led by junior Alex Zomerfeld (Port Jefferson, N.Y.), the Bulldogs average just eight goals per game despite averaging more than 35 shots each time out. Zomerfeld paces the side in all three offensive categories, posting seven goals, five assists and 12 points on the year, while senior longpole Mason Poli (Downingtown, Pa.) and sophomore Shane Morrell (Glen Mills, Pa.) each add five scores and two helpers to the mix. Sophomore attack Brian Schlansker (Glenville, N.Y.) also chips in seven points off four goals and three assists.
"That has been our issue since the Colgate game, putting the ball in the goal," said Pressler. "We've had our chances, but we have not shot well, we have not created enough scoring opportunities, and our lead guys just haven't played well on offense. But we've made some changes schematically, and we've made some lineup changes as well, and we are going into this game expecting all that to work against a very difficult opponent.
"We just have to get back to playing Bryant lacrosse, and all the things that go with it," Pressler added. "We will truly be tested on both ends of the field tomorrow in Philly."
Saturday's game kicks off at 1 p.m. and can be seen live and free of charge online. Find the video link as well as more Bryant lacrosse news and information at bryantbulldogs.com.
