This past Saturday afternoon, Orange and Blue Men’s Lacrosse suffered a two-goal loss against Bryant, changing the Bison record to 5-7 overall in the season so far. 

Although Bryant kicked off the game with the first goal, Connor Davis ʼ25 didn’t hold back in the first quarter, scoring three consecutive goals to give the Orange and Blue the lead. Owen Kovacs ʼ26 quickly followed with a goal of his own, giving the Bison a three-point lead. It wasn’t long before Bryant climbed back, scoring two goals at the end of the quarter, cutting the Bison lead by two points. 

The Orange and Blue came out strong in the second quarter with a goal off the bat from Anthony Panetti ʼ28 after a quick timeout from the Bison. Bryant scored another quick goal soon after, leaving the game once again at only a one-point lead for the Bison. The second quarter proved equally tough for both teams, leaving the score 9-8 Bucknell by half. 

Bryant came out strong at the top of the third quarter quickly finding their offensive groove and a 11-13 lead, outscoring the Bison 5-2. Entering into the fourth quarter, the Orange and Blue continued a tough fight leading to goals from Leyton Zorumski ʼ28, Jack Dudas ʼ25 and finally Kovacs, who tied the game at 14 with only seven minutes of play left to go. Then, with only five minutes left in the game, both teams had seen several opportunities before Bryant finally scored, giving them a one-point lead over the Bison. Both teams continued to battle it out for the win, with aggressive defense resulting in four turnovers. With only 1:13 left, Bryant had a chance to take the win before the Bison goalie, Luke Renaud ʼ26, made a save that could have resulted in a chance to play in overtime. However, in the end, Bryant forced a turnover and secured their win by two points. 

The turnover in the final minutes of the game was one of 10 caused turnovers, which had slowed down the Bison offense and helped Bryant ultimately defeat them. The Orange and Blue on the other hand only recorded four total forced turnovers. 

The Bryant goalie played an important role in the Bulldogs’ win with 13 total saves in the game. On the other hand, Renaud recorded six saves and the Bison went 16-18 off the clear. That being said, Bucknell outshot Bryant 48-37 and defeated Bryant in faceoffs 18-16. Both teams also committed a high number of unforced turnovers with Bucknell having 15 and Bryant having 23. 

This Saturday afternoon, April 19, the Bison return to Patriot League play as they face Army out at West Point.