Reigning Conference Champions Meet as UAlbany Men's Lacrosse Hosts Bryant
Game Notes | Watch Live on AmericaEast.tv | Buy Tickets | Live Stats
ALBANY, N.Y. – The defending America East champion UAlbany will faceoff against reigning NEC champion Bryant in a battle of ranked opponents at John Fallon Field at 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 15.
Tickets for the UAlbany-Drexel game are $7 for general admission and $2 for children 12 and under and seniors 65 and over. The game will also be broadcast online on AmericaEast.tv.
After earning a victory over a then-top-10 opponent, UAlbany jumped to #13 in the USILA Coaches Poll and the Warrior DI Media Poll. Bryant has a similar leap following a win over ranked-Drexel, going to #18 in the USILA and #20 in the Media Poll.
UAlbany is coming off a dominant 25-10 victory over UMass on Saturday for its second-straight win, standing at 2-2 overall. Bryant also has won two-in-a-row, coming off a 12-7 victory against Monmouth on Tuesday, to enter the game at 4-2.
This is the third game in the series between these two programs. The first contest went to Bryant 14-12 in 2012, while UAlbany won last season 17-15 to tie the overall series.
UAlbany has the top scoring offense in all of Division I averaging 17 goals a game in its first four contests. Lyle Thompson already has an NCAA-high 19 assists and 29 points for a DI-best 7.25 a game, while brother Miles Thompson earns an NCAA-best 4.75 points a game, including 19 goals and six assists. Ty Thompson stands 11th in DI with three goals a game, totaling 12 thus far.
One of the top freshmen goalkeepers in the country last season, Blaze Riorden is currently leading all of Division I with 15.25 saves per game, earning a 57% save percentage. He has had at least 15 saves each of his last three games. Riorden's has also been used for UAlbany at attack in man-up situations to help on offense. Helping protect the cage in front of Riorden is Cody Futia, the team's leader in caused turnovers with five. Breaking into the starting lineup recently is James Burdette, the tallest player on the team at 6-foot-6.
After a season-opening loss to Colgate, Bryant, the two-time reigning champion of the Northeast Conference, earned its way into the rankings after winning four of five. Head coach Mike Pressler is the program's only-ever Division I leader.
The team has not allowed double-digit goals to an opponent yet this season. Sophomore goalkeeper leads all of Division I with a 65.9% save percentage, allowing 7.19 goals per game. Senior defenseman Matt MacGrotty has 16 ground balls and five caused turnovers, while freshman longstick Kyle Mummau also has five caused turnovers. Leading the Bulldog offense is sophomore attack Shane Morrell, who stands with nine goals and five assists, flanked by freshman Tucker James with eight goals, four assists and 20 ground balls. In the midfield stands Collins Gantz, who has seven goals and four assists. As a unit, the offense averages just over nine goals a game.
