Brown and UMass Face-Off In Storied New England Lacrosse Rivalry

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Providence, R.I. – With a new fast-paced attack and votes in the national rankings, Brown will travel to UMass on Saturday, February 28 for the 48th renewal of New England’s oldest lacrosse rivalry. The game has been moved to McGuirk Alumni Stadium on the UMass campus with face-off at 1 pm.

The Bears: Brown (1-0) opened its season last Saturday with a 17-6 win over Quinnipiac at Stevenson Field. A pair of Long Islander’s contributed to the victory, with sophomore attackman Dylan Molloy (Setauket, NY) netting five goals and junior goalie Jack Kelly (West Islip, NY) making 15 saves, while allowing three goals.

Did you Know?: Brown is competing in its 65th season of intercollegiate lacrosse…Brown’s February 21st game vs. Quinnipiac is tied for the earliest start date ever for Brown lacrosse. The Bears also opened the 2009 season at Lehigh on February 21st…Stevenson Field sported a new 30-second shot clock, but a stall warning was never issued by the officials in the Bears’ win over Quinnipiac.

The Minutemen: UMass (0-3) is still looking for its first win of the young season after losses to #20 Army, 12-7, #6 North Carolina, 20-8, and #12 Harvard, 14-13.

Brown-UMass – Series Record: Brown and UMass have met 47 times, dating back to 1963, with Brown holding a 24-23 series advantage. Last year, then fifth ranked UMass came away with a 15-2 win over the Bears at Stevenson Field. In 2013, Brown earned a thrilling 9-8 win over the Minutemen in Amherst, Mass.

Molloy Leads Attack: Sophomore attackman Dylan Molloy (Setauket, NY) picked up where he left off a year ago and scored five goals in Brown’s season-opening win over Quinnipiac. Last year, the honorable mention All-Ivy selection and four-time Ivy Rookie of the Week led the Bears and ranked sixth in the Ivy League with 29 goals, while adding 10 assists and 37 ground balls.

Kelly – Ninth Nationally In Saves: Junior goalie Jack Kelly (West Islip, NY), a tri-captain for the Bears, was superb in Brown’s season debut, making his 15 saves in just over three quarters of play, exiting early in the fourth quarter. His 3.68 goals against average leads the nation. Last year, Kelly led the Ivy League and ranked ninth in the nation in saves per game (11.21), and ranked 15th nationally in save percentage (.547).

Gural Faces-Off For The Bears: Junior face-off specialist Will Gural (Haverford, PA) earned the starting nod in the face-off x and dominated Quinnipiac by winning 15-of-19 face-offs.

Blynn Returns: Bears’ junior attackman Henry Blynn (Villanova, PA) returned to the lineup after a year’s absence due to injury and scored just 17 seconds into Brown’s win over Quinnipiac. Blynn led the Brown team in scoring as a freshman in 2013 with 35 points (27 goals, 8 assists), and scored five goals in back-to-back games against High Point and North Carolina.

Bellistri On The Attack: Junior Kylor Bellistri (Potomac, MD) netted two goals in Brown’s season opening win over Quinnipiac. He is equally adept at scoring from the outside or in tight, and ranked third on the 2014 Brown team with 31 points (20 goals and 11 assists).

Defensive Unit: Brown’s defense returns two starters from a year ago. Sophomore defenseman Alec Tulett (Toronto, Canada) emerged as a starter a year ago and is equally effective as a close defenseman or long-stick midfielder. He picked up 22 ground balls, including a season high five ground balls vs. Dartmouth. Senior captain Will Swindell (Greenwich, CT) started seven games last season and plays a key role in Brown’s clearing game and communicating the slides. Senior Stephen Loudon (Babylon, NY), who also plays football at Brown, has also emerged as a starter at close defense for the Bears.

Kemp scores from the Back: Sophomore defenseman Larken Kemp (Greenwich, CT) played a key role in Brown’s fast-paced attack with two goals against Quinnipiac.

Piroli Back In The Lineup: Senior attackman Nick Piroli (Black River, NY) missed all of last season due to injury and responded with two goals and two assists for the Bears against Quinnipiac. Piroli was one of the top first year players in the nation as a freshman with 23 goals and a .442 shooting percentage that ranked 18th nationally. Piroli, who has 39 career goals for the Bears, will see action both on attack and in the midfield.

Head Coach Lars Tiffany: Lars Tiffany ’90, a two-time Brown lacrosse captain, returned to his alma mater as head men’s lacrosse coach in the summer of 2006, and has returned the program to national prominence with Ivy League titles in 2008 and 2010, and an NCAA Championship berth in 2009. Tiffany was named the New England Coach of the Year in 2008 and 2009 while leading his team to the number one ranking in New England each year. Tiffany occupies the Rothman Head Coaching Chair for Men’s Lacrosse, an endowed position.

Watch Live: Video of all home contests and all Ivy League games, home and away, will be broadcast live on BrownBears.TV as part of the Ivy League Digital Network. Fans can subscribe and view games by purchasing yearly, monthly, weekly or daily packages.

Next Game: Brown travels to Hartford, Connecticut, on Wednesday, March 4 to battle Hartford. Face-off is 3:30 pm. at Yousuf Al-Marzook Athletic Field.

Purchase Brown Tickets: Tickets for all Brown men’s lacrosse home games can be purchased online at brownbears.com, calling the Brown Athletics Ticket Office at (401) 863-2773, or walking up to the Box Office located in the Pizzitola Sports Center, open Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.

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