Men’s Lax continues to tear through the NEC

The dust from a heartbreaking 11-10 double overtime loss to Yale hadn’t even settled yet when the Bulldogs took the field last Sunday against Northeast Conference foe Wagner. After the Yale loss, head coach Mike Pressler said, “Mentally and emotionally, we spent a lot of energy out there tonight and didn’t get it done, so this is going to be a heck of a test for us on Sunday.”

The Bulldogs rose to the challenge completely dominating Wagner, 21-3. Sixteen different Bryant players scored and the majority of the roster got a chance to take the field. Senior Travis Harrington, juniors Peter McMahon and Mason Poli, and sophomores Dan Sipperly and Ryan Jarvis each scored twice.

The win moved Bryant to 12-3, perfect in both the league and at home with just one game remaining on the schedule. The game was the Bulldogs final at home for the season and the final in Smithfield for the team’s six seniors. Tim Clinton, Travis Harrington, Matt Larson, Jameson Love, Rob Maiorano, and Max Weisenberg led the team in its transition to Division I.

Following the game, Jameson Love and freshman Kevin Massa were once again rewarded by the NEC. Massa earned his eighth NEC Rookie of the Week selection and sixth-consecutive. On the week, Massa went 28 of 46 from the faceoff circle. The loss to Yale marked the first time on the season Massa won less than 50 percent of the faceoffs. He rebounded in the Wagner game, racking up a 90.5 faceoff winning percentage. On the season Massa leads the NEC in faceoff wins, faceoff winning percentage, ground balls per game, and total ground balls.

Love was awarded his fourth NEC Defensive Player of the Week recognition on the season. Between the Yale and Wagner games Love recorded 21 saves and a .636 save percentage. In the three quarters he played against Wagner, Love allowed just one goal. Love leads the NEC in goalie wins, save percentage, and goals against average.

The sole game left on the Bulldogs’ schedule is perhaps the biggest of the year. The team will travel to Moon Township, Pennsylvania to face Robert Morris. Robert Morris sits atop the NEC alongside the Bulldogs with both having a perfect league record. The winner of Saturday’s matchup will win the NEC regular season crown and the right to host the NEC playoff tournament.