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The Bryant Bulldogs are the 23rd team in our 2020 men’s college lacrosse schedule preview series and the third team from the NEC. Bryant finished 3-11 overall in 2019 and 1-5 in NEC play. The Bulldogs failed to qualify for the NEC Tournament and recorded their first sub-.500 season since 2015.
Here’s their entire 2020 schedule:
Bryant’s 2020 Schedule
| Date | Road Team | Home Team | Special Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Road Team | Home Team | Special Notes |
| 2/9 | Bucknell | Bryant | |
| 2/15 | Bryant | Providence | Ocean State Cup |
| 2/18 | Boston University | Bryant | |
| 2/22 | Bryant | Dartmouth | |
| 2/29 | Bryant | Manhattan | |
| 3/7 | Stony Brook | Bryant | |
| 3/10 | Bryant | North Carolina | First ever meeting |
| 3/14 | Saint Joseph's | Bryant | NEC |
| 3/21 | Wagner | Bryant | NEC |
| 3/28 | Bryant | Merrimack | NEC, First meeting since 2008 |
| 4/4 | Bryant | Sacred Heart | NEC |
| 4/11 | Hobart | Bryant | NEC |
| 4/18 | Bryant | Robert Morris | NEC |
| 4/21 | Bryant | Brown | Ocean State Cup |
| 4/25 | NJIT | Bryant | NEC, First ever meeting |
Who’s In?
- North Carolina Tar Heels (3/10)
- Merrimack Warriors (3/28)
- NJIT Highlanders (4/25)
Who’s Out?
- Fairfield Stags (12-11 L/OT)
- Mount St. Mary’s Mountaineers (10-7 L)
Bryant’s Opponents 2019 Average Win Percentage & RPI
| Avg. overall win pct. | Avg. nonconference win pct. | Avg. conference win pct. | Avg. overall RPI | Avg. nonconference RPI | Avg. conference RPI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg. overall win pct. | Avg. nonconference win pct. | Avg. conference win pct. | Avg. overall RPI | Avg. nonconference RPI | Avg. conference RPI |
| .472 | .455 | .492 | 44.29 | 41.75 | 47.67 |
Circle These Dates
- 2/9 vs. Bucknell: The Bulldogs have lost every meeting with the Bison for the past five seasons. Their last win came in 2014, a 12-9 win at home. They’ve played every year since 2013 and every meeting has been decided by three goals or less. But Bryant will look to get only their second win over Bucknell in this year’s season-opener.
- 2/18 vs. Boston University: Another team Bryant has had trouble with is Boston University. Since playing the Terriers each year beginning in 2017, the Bulldogs have gone winless in all three showdowns. Their lone meeting in Smithfield saw the Terriers come out with a very close 8-7 win in overtime.
- 3/7 vs. Stony Brook: This was one of Bryant’s four games in March and April that was decided by a goal. And the Bulldogs lost all four of those games, with the Stony Brook meeting as one of the more devastating defeats. Bryant managed to score two goals early in the fourth quarter to tie the game up at eight, but the Seawolves scored with 16 seconds left in regulation to wind up with a 9-8 win. Stony Brook does come in with a new head coach in Anthony Gilardi as well as the graduations of Ryland Rees and Justin Pugal on defense.
- 3/28 at Merrimack: It’s an old Northeast-10 rivalry renewed in the Northeast Conference with the reigning back-to-back Division II champs now moving up to Division I. The last time these two teams played each other was in 2008. Bryant took the regular season meeting at Gillette Stadium as well as an overtime winner in the NE-10 semifinals.
- 4/11 vs. Hobart: NEC play has some changes this year, especially with the addition of divisions for the first time in college lacrosse. Bryant and Hobart are in the East Division along with the aforementioned Merrimack as well as Sacred Heart and Wagner. Each team will play seven conference games, three of them against opponents in the opposite division. A mid-April game will be a lot more vital in terms of positioning for a spot into the conference tournament.