Photo Credit: Bryant Lacrosse
The Bryant Bulldogs shocked the lacrosse world on Sunday when they defeated the second seeded Syracuse Orange to advance to the NCAA quarterfinals.
“The team and coaching staff were obviously very excited about the win against a very talented and well coached Syracuse team,” said assistant coach Kevin Gould. “The players bought into the game plan and executed it very well for four quarters. The win was great for not only our players, but for the Bryant University community as well.”
Tucker James, a freshman, scored six times to lead the Bulldogs in their victory. This is Bryant’s sixth season at the Division I level and they went into Syracuse and won a playoff game to advance. This weekend they will play Maryland.
Syracuse was the second seeded team in the country while Bryant had to beat Siena, on the road, to advance to the real tournament. Now they are headed to Long Island with the likes of Albany, Maryland and Notre Dame.
“To be honest, as soon as the play in game against Siena was over we thought we could beat Syracuse,” Gould told us. “We had been in the same game a year earlier, and the experienced absolutely helped our player’s mindset. We talked all week about being the best team for four quarters on that given night.”
So, why was Bryant such a tough match up for the Orange?
“I think a few things need to happen to beat a team like Syracuse,” Gould explained. “Obviously everyone needs to buy in to the game plan, from the players to the coaches. When the guys know they can play with the opponent regardless of who it is, they are playing with confidence from the first whistle. With all that being said it comes down to the players executing the game plan, and not getting too high or too low emotionally during the game.”
Bryant has a tough match up in Maryland, who defeated Cornell to advance. Is Maryland a tougher opponent?
“At this point in the year, with eight teams left everyone is playing well,” said Gould. “I would love to say there is one key to beating Maryland, but there is not. They are a very talented team at both ends of the field and we know they are very well coached and very discipline. We need to stick with what got us to this point. The Bryant University community is very excited for the game on Saturday, and we know our guys will be ready to go.”
Bryant is so close to advancing to the final four after just six years of program history. If they can get past Syracuse, can they get past the Terps?
