SMITHFIELD, RI-- The Bryant Men's Soccer team concluded their season after competing in the America East Conference championship on November, 17th on Virtue Field in Burlington, Vermont. 

After clinching a spot in the America East tournament, the Bulldogs went on to face NJIT in the quarter-finals, shutting them out four nil before advancing to the semifinals where they took down the number one seed UNH, in a Penalty kick shoot out (4-2) after ending double overtime 0-0. The Bulldogs then went on to face number two seed Vermont, away, where they fell 2-1 after the Catamounts' responded to Marc Pitarch Bayot's equalizer with just five minutes to go till zero.

Concluding the season, the Bulldogs end having acquired many accolades, notables, and some records broken.

Notes and Notables:

• This was the Bulldog's fourth conference final appearance in Division I history. The Bulldogs have two appearances in the NEC and two America East finals under the direction of head coach Ruben Resendes who joined the Bulldog family in 2022.
• The team made back-to-back appearances in the conference championship for the first time in its Division I history.
• This season, we secured the second-most wins in our Division I program history with 10 victories, surpassing the previous mark of 9. While last year's record of 16 wins remains the benchmark, highlighting two consecutive recording-breaking years for consistent success. The 2023 and 2024 regime remains the only ever Bulldogs with the two double digit wins in program history.
• Secured the second most shutouts in Division I history, the previous record set last year by the 2023 regime.
• Bryant recorded the second-best goals-against average and the second-most goals in a single season in program history. These records, originally set in the 2000s, have consistently been surpassed under the leadership of head coach Resendes, showcasing the program's ongoing growth and success.

NCAA Program Notes and Notables:

• Bryant remains the number one in goals against average in the NCAA for the second year in a row.
• The Bulldogs also end in a tie for the most shutouts in a single season across the NCAA.
• Bryant has posted a strong 11-5-3 record in America East Conference play over the past two seasons under coach Resendes.
• Bryant's men's soccer team has achieved an impressive 26-8-6 record over the past two seasons under Coach Resendes, who is set to return for his third season as a Bulldog in 2025.

Records Broken:

• Tallied the second most points scored in an individual game this season with thirteen in the quarterfinal matchup versus NJIT.
• Secured the most assists ever taken in a single game in Bryant history, in the NJIT match.

Season History:

• The Bulldogs ended their season with a 10-6-4 record, finishing as the fourth seed, only two points away from the tied first seed of UNH and Vermont, UMBC finished as the third seed.  
• The Black and Gold wrapped up this season with an America East record of 4-3. 
• In away matches the Bulldogs went 5-3-3 to their home record of 5-3-1.
• The Bulldogs secured their first win of the season against CCSU in a two-goal win, both scored from Senior forward Marc Pitarch-Bayot.
• The Bulldogs went on to secure wins against Merrimack, Iona, St.Joe's, Holy Cross, NJIT,  UMass Lowell, Binghamton, and UAlbany in the regular season.
• The Bulldogs posted a total of 29 goals on the season tallying a total of 13 different goal scorers.
• Marc Pitarch-Bayot led the team in goals (9) followed by sophomore, Cristian Guirado (5), and fellow senior Sam White with three.
• In the postseason, the Bulldogs won against NJIT in a four nothing quarter-final victory to face UNH in the semifinals coming out on top 4-2 in a PK shootout then ultimately fell, 2-1 to Vermont in the Championship. 

Quotes from Head Coach Ruben Resendes on the Season:

On Reflection and Improvement:
"Our goal every season is to make the NCAA tournament. Although we are happy with how well we competed in the conference tournament, we knew we were going to have to win it in order to get a bid to the NCAA cup.  I think what's more disappointing than losing in the final and not getting the automatic bid was knowing that we didn't do quite enough in the regular season to be in the at-large bid conversation, and that's where we need to improve this off-season to make sure we are in a better spot come tournament time next year. 

On Tenacity:
"I'm proud of how hard this group worked throughout the season to keep improving and adapting our game to give us the best chance to be successful down the stretch when it mattered most come conference time."

On Rebuilding: 
"We lost a lot of major contributors from the 2023 team last season and also added some really good teams to this year's 2024 non-conference schedule. We would inevitably face challenges, but I'm proud of how we dealt with the adversity and kept pushing forward. We have many key pieces from this season returning for next year, which will hopefully be a good foundation for more success in 2025."

Next Up:
The Bulldogs rest up before continuing the initiative as they look forward to the 2025 season;  they return many experienced players to continue building Bryant's vision of success.

Go Bulldogs!