Saturday, February 14, 2009

BULLDOGS OPEN INAUGURAL DIVISION I SCHEDULE WITH BOUT AT TOP-RANKED VIRGINIA MONDAY AFTERNOON

SMITHFIELD, R.I. - Bryant University head coach Mike Pressler said he wanted to give his 2009 Bulldogs a schedule they could "hang their hats on." A coach who follows through on his word, Pressler did just that.

But when the Bryant University men's lacrosse team steps off the bus in Charlottesville, Va. to open its 2009 inaugural Division I season on Presidents' Day, the reality of exactly what that promise meant - a faceoff with the top-ranked team in the nation - will be staring them in the face, waiting to see just what kind of hats the newly-anointed DI Bulldogs can wear.

Bryant's first-ever Division I contest will come against the most tremendous of teams, 2008 NCAA Final Four participant and preseason No. 1 University of Virginia, on Monday afternoon at 4 p.m. And the Bulldogs need to be ready. 

Virginia finished the 2008 season with a 12-11 double overtime loss to eventual-national champion Syracuse University in the semifinals, ending the campaign with a 14-4 record and No. 2 final poll ranking. And with 30 returning lettermen, including seven starters, head coach Dom Starsia's squad is ranked first in the Face-Off Yearbook preseason poll and second in the USILA coaches poll. The Cavaliers are also viewed as one of the leading candidates to return to not just the semifinals, but compete for a national championship.

Leading the way for the Cavaliers will be Lacrosse magazine's preseason Player of the Year, senior attackman Danny Glading. UVA's 2008 leading scorer with 65 total points, a number that ranked No. 7 nationally, Glading was one of only six players to score 30 goals and add 30 assists last season.

Joining Glading on attack is classmate Garrett Billings, a preseason second-team All-American who notched 36 goals last spring, and top freshman recruit Steele Stanwick, who moves into the role opened by the graduation of Ben Rubeor.

But Bryant has a strong core defense, not to mention an offense front-loaded by NCAA all-time leading goal scorer Zack Greer (Whitby, Ont.), that is ready to try to offset a paralyzing Virginia attack.

Greer, a three-time all-American and 2009 preseason First Team all-American selection, will be wearing many hats as a Bulldog in 2009, serving not just as the natural goal scorer he has become, but also filling into the roles of his past as both a passer and playmaker.

He will be joined by a nucleus of experienced upperclassmen, and they welcome a group of sophomores and freshmen who will add Division I depth, talent and support to the Bulldog squad.

­The strength of the Bryant team lies in its front line, and the Bulldogs welcome back the return of a trio of senior attackmen to join Greer, one of the NCAA's most prolific scorers in the history of lacrosse.

Senior co-captains Kevin Hoagland (Glastonbury, Conn.) and Bryan Kaufmann (Putnam Valley, N.Y.), along with fellow senior Matt McKeefrey (Melville, N.Y.), have combined to form one of the nation's most potent offensive lines for the last three seasons at the Division II level.

Kaufmann has thrived under Pressler's offensive system, dishing out a team-best 22 assists in 2008 to compliment the second-most goals on the squad with 35. His 44 goals as a junior in 2007 were a team-high, earning him Northeast-10 Co-Player of the Year honors.

Hoagland, a talented and powerful finisher, recorded a team-best 44 goals in 2008, finishing the season with 100 on his career, adding 14 helpers for a squad-best 58 points on the year. Hoagland's numbers earned him a second-team all-conference bid in 2008.

McKeefrey, a tenacious sparkplug in front of the cage, added 19 goals and a team-high 22 assists of his own last season.

But this year, the trio will be joined by the NCAA's all-time leading goal scorer in former Duke Blue Devil standout Zack Greer (Whitby, Ont.), who transferred to Bryant for his final year of eligibility.

Greer, named a captain by the rest of the 2009 squad, has 206 career goals to his name and looks to be the difference maker as the only Bulldog with significant Division I experience. A Preseason First-Team All-American selection, Greer is already the owner of a trio of All-America picks and looks build upon his reputation not just as a scorer and a finisher, but also as a passer and playmaker.

"There is, to say the least, able leadership and experience in that group," said Pressler. "We are very fortunate to have these four senior attackmen on our side."

But the Bulldogs will also have a young crop of newcomers to solidify the offense as one of Bryant's true strengths.

Bryant will look to top midfield returner Jim Long (Durham, N.H.), who scored 19 goals and added 12 assists last season, and sophomore Gary Crowley (Scituate, Mass.), the reigning Northeast-10 Freshman of the Year who led all Bulldog rookies with 22 tallies in 2008, to play key roles in the middle of the field in 2009.

The play of top face-off specialist Andrew Hennessey (Wading River, N.Y.) will also be crucial to the success of this year's Bulldogs. Arguably the best face-off specialist in Division II - Hennessey won 246-of-345 (.713) face-off opportunities last season - Bryant will be counting on the redshirt-junior to carry the load in this transition, and he is the key to getting the ball off the faceoff.

But the Bulldogs will particularly need top-notch play from their defense, and Pressler is happy to return 2008 All-American Matt Murnane (Rockville Centre, N.Y.) to lead the defensive unit. Murnane gathered 64 ground balls last season, second only to Hennessey's 117, and will be given the task to cover the best of the opponent's attackmen.

"He is one of the best defensemen I've ever coached in my career," hailed Pressler.

The Bulldogs also welcome back sophomore Joe Rauchut (Philadelphia, Pa.), who started in all but one contest as a freshman and appeared in all 18.

This will be the first meeting between the Bulldogs and the Cavaliers, who open their season against Drexel on Saturday. The Bulldogs hope to use their newcomer status to sneak up on some big teams, and they have the potential to create some upsets if they play to the top of their game.

"We are taking our game and our program from Division II to the highest level of Division I ball," said Pressler, now in his third season at Bryant. "It is a daunting challenge, but one we are truly excited about."