Hobart College's Brown makes 14 saves at Bryant

Photo is courtesy of Hobart College

Recap courtesy, by Ken DeBolt
SMITHFIELD, R.I.—Junior goalie Jackson Brown made a season-high 14 saves, but Bryant University handed Hobart College a 15-2 Northeast Conference Men's Lacrosse loss this afternoon. The Bulldogs improve to 9-4 overall, 4-1 in the league, while the loss drops the Statesmen to 7-6, 3-2.

Under pressure all day, Brown played 58:45 and stopped half of the shots he faced. Junior midfielder Mark Darden and first-year midfielder Bryan Hancock scored the goals for Hobart. The Statesmen man-down unit, which entered the contest second in the nation, killed off all four of the Bulldogs' extra-man opportunities.

Bryant, which honored its senior class before the game, got five-point performances from senior
attackman Shane Morrell (4g,1a) and junior attackman Tucker James (1g,4a). Sophomore Kenny Massa won 11-of-19 faceoffs and scooped up four ground balls. Senior Gunnar Waldt made 10 saves to earn the win in goal.

Darden staked the Statesmen to a 1-0 lead, finishing a feed from junior attackman Frank Brown less than two minutes into the game. The Bulldogs took the lead for good with four straight goals. Hancock stopped the run with an unassisted goal with 44 seconds left in the first quarter.

From that point on, the Bryant defense shutout Hobart. The home team scored three more times in the second quarter to carry a 7-2 lead into halftime. The Bulldogs scored five times in the third quarter and three more times in the fourth to move into a tie for first place in the NEC following Robert Morris' upset of Saint Joseph's. The Statesmen sit in third place, tied with the Colonials.

Hobart, which has already secured a spot in the four-team NEC Tournament, will close out the regular season against Sacred Heart on Saturday, April 30. Faceoff at Boswell Field is scheduled for noon.