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Philadelphia, PA -- Once again Bryant University is the top dog in NEC men’s lacrosse after defeating top-seeded Saint Joseph’s, 16-10, in the conference title game on Saturday afternoon in Phiadelphia.

The win lifted Bryant (9-3) to a perfect 6-0 mark in NEC finals and the program's first championship since 2017.
 
NEC Tournament MVP honors went to Bryant sophomore goalkeeper Luke Caracciolo (Centreville, VA/Paul VI), who was outstanding between the pipes for the Bulldogs, matching a careeer-high with 18 saves in the game.
 
“Coach P got us ready to go, the defense was locked in from the first time the ball came down to the last," said Caracciolo after the game. "All credit goes to the defense...those boys played their butts off today.” 
 
Saint Joseph’s (9-4) struck first just 1:06 into the contest when sophomore midfielder Tucker Brown (Rehoboth Beach, DE/Furman) scored his first of two goals on the day. The Hawks added two more and looked to go into the second quarter up 3-1, but the Bulldogs responded with 32 seconds left on a goal from Aidan Goltz (Newport Beach, CA/Newport Harbor) and then redshirt freshman Logan McGovern (Darien, CT/Darien) tied the game with just seven-tenths of a second remaining.
 
Neither team would lead by more than two goals until the fourth quarter.
 
The Bulldogs outscored the Hawks by a 6-1 margin in the fourth quarter, capped by All-NEC second team attack Marc O’Rourke (Hingham, MA/Hingham), who scored his fourth goal of the game with 47 seconds left in the contest.
 
Bryant freshman face-off specialist Jacob Alexander (Franklin, MA/Franklin) went toe-to-toe with Saint Joseph’s junior Zach Cole (Mount Laurel, NJ/Lenape), the NEC Player of the Year, and went 17-of-30 from the faceoff X. He also scored the goal that put Bryant in the lead for good with 1:02 left in the third quarter, winning the faceoff and streaking to the goal in just four seconds. Alexander added a pair of assists for good measyre.
 
“Jacob stepped up like a true champion and he was remarkable today against the player of the year in the conference," said Bryant head coach Mike Pressler.

Senior midfielder Trevor Weingarten (Allendale, NJ/Bergen Catholic) produced a hat trick off the bench for Bryant, while freshman attack Kevin Groeninger (San Juan Capistrano, CA/St. Margaret's Episcopal) scored twice for the Bulldogs.
 
Overall, the Bulldogs held a 45-31 advantage in ground balls.

Junior midfielder Ryan Doran (Melville, NY/Half Hollow Hills East) paced Saint Joseph's offensively with a hat trick. Brown and senior midfielder Evan Campbell (Cherry Hill, NJ/Cherry Hill East) each tallied twice.

Senior goalkeeper Tucker Almany (Fairplay, MD/Saint James School) made 11 saves for the Hawks.

Bryant will find out its NCAA opponent at 9:00 pm on Sunday, May 9 on ESPNU.
   
NEC All-Tournament Team
Luke Caracciolo, BRY (Tournament MVP)
Marc O’Rourke, BRY
Trevor, Weingarten, BRY
Jacob Alexander, BRY
Logan Blondell, SJU
Evan Campbell, SJU
Matt Tufano, SJU
Derrek Madonna, HOB
Drew Blanchard, HOB
Will Mark, LIU
Will Snelders, LIU