2023 Men's Top 30: How Bryant Fared vs. Projections

Before USA Lacrosse Magazine looks ahead to what’s to come in 2024, our team of staff and contributors decided it was worth taking one last look at 2023.

After all, you have to look at the most recent results before making projections for what’s to come. To do that, we’re taking a journey through the top 30 teams in men’s and women’s lacrosse — what went right, what went wrong and what we should all think of that team’s season.

Was it a success? A failure? A mixture of both? You’ll find out our thoughts over the next month or so.

BRYANT MEN’S LACROSSE

Nike/USA Lacrosse Preseason/Final Top 20 Ranking: Unranked/Unranked (also considered)
2023 record: 12-5 (5-2 America East)

WHAT WENT RIGHT

The Bulldogs earned an NCAA tournament berth in their first America East season, moving right from the Northeast Conference without an excess of trouble. And they scored a bunch, averaging 14.2 goals to finish 13th in Division I. Bryant finished with five 40-point players, including Kevin Groeninger (38 G, 30 A) and Aidan Goltz (45 G, 15 A) reaching the 60-point plateau.

WHAT WENT WRONG

Bryant opted for a high-risk, high-reward approach in its first season under Brad Ross, and with an excellent set of offensive players and few statistical weaknesses (the Bulldogs could be prone to turnovers, and their man-down defense finished 58th nationally), it was a team that was in every game. Well, at least until a 22-8 loss at Johns Hopkins in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

SEASON HIGHLIGHT

This is an easy choice — Goltz’s wraparound goal with 2:39 left in double overtime against Albany in the America East title game to extend Bryant’s season by a week.

VERDICT

Things went sideways after the first quarter at Homewood Field on Mother’s Day, but in the long run, that’s a minor blemish on a successful season. Bryant made the transition from longtime coach Mike Pressler to Ross without a poor multi-game stretch (the Bulldogs followed each of their first four losses with at least two victories) and gutted out a double-overtime victory in the America East title game against Albany. The Bulldogs looked right at home in their new league.