MEN'S LACROSSE NOTEBOOK
The Vermont men's lacrosse team begins a two-game homestand Saturday when the Bryant Bulldogs come to town for a key America East showdown at Virtue Field.

All the action gets underway at 3:30 p.m. and can be seen on ESPN+.
 
RELATED LINKS
ESPN+ | Live Stats

PROMOTIONS
Saturday is Youth Day presented by Healthy Living and Poster Day presented by UVM Print and Mail. Fans can stick around after the game for autographs. Saturday also marks the Cats' Rally Around Mental and Morgan's Message Game. Rally Around Mental Health is an initiative that was created to help increase awareness and reduce stigma surrounding mental health. Morgan's Message aims to expand the dialogue on mental health by normalizing conversations, empowering those who suffer in silence, and supporting those who feel alone.

LAST TIME OUT
The Catamounts won their fourth straight game last weekend with a 11-9 victory over Binghamton in Vestal, N.Y. Brock Haley posted his fourth trick of the season to pace the Catamount offense while David Closterman added two goals and two assists. Tristan Whitaker scored twice for his first multi-goal game in a Catamount uniform. Jackson Canfield scooped up a season-high six ground balls while Matt Shaffer made 11 saves in cage. The Cats are just the second team this season to hold Binghamton to single digits.

SHAFFER HONORED
For the third time this season Matt Shaffer was named America East Defensive Player of the Week, it was announced on Monday. Shaffer stopped 11 of 20 shots against one of the top offenses in the country last week and lowered his goals against average to 10.44 this season. The senior's .535 save percentage ranks 16^th in the country.

ALL HALEY
Brock Haley reached the 40-point mark for the second straight season during the win over Binghamton. He now has 62 career goals to go along with 40 assists for 111 career points. Vermont is 5-0 this season and 11-0 over the last two years when Haley has four or more points in a game.

FINDING THE GROOVE
The UVM defense has been stout in league play giving up a league-low 34 goals through the first four conference games. Vermont also ranks second in man-down percentage and third in caused turnovers during leage play.

ROOKIES ROLLING
The first-year trio of Carson Boyle, Charles Huntley and Tristan Whitaker have hit their stride during league play. Boyle leads the group with 13 points (12G, 1A) through three games while Whitaker has 12 (4G, 8A) and Huntley seven (5G, 3A).

CATS VS. AMERICA EAST
The Cats are 17-2 in their last 19 regular season conference games including perfect 6-0 last year and a 4-0 start this season.

SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
Coming into the weekend with a 8-2 overall record, Bryant boasts one of the nation's top offenses and – along with Vermont – sits at 4-0 in league play. The Bulldogs rank fifth in the country averaging 15.7 goals per game and over 18 against America East foes. That offense is powered by five players with 30+ points led by Kevin Groeninger's 42 points. Johnny Hackett (29 goals) and Jack Lonsinger (31 goals) are two of the top scoring freshmen in the country. Teagan Alexander has been steady between the pipes while Nathan Laliberte enters the weekend with a 55.6% winning percentage at the faceoff X.

INSIDE THE SERIES
Saturday will be 7^th all-time meeting between Bryant and UVM – the two teams have split the first six matchups with the home team winning every game. UVM scored a 16-6 victory last season at Virtue Field while Bryant took 2021's season-opener 15-12 in Smithfield. This will be the first matchup between the two teams as conference opponents.