October 17, 2010

FRESHMEN STAR IN BRYANT'S FIFTH-STRAIGHT VICTORY, BULLDOGS TOP ROBERT MORRIS, 4-1, SUNDAY

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Freshmen Olivia Jankins (West Brookfield, Mass.) and Mallory Hancock (Skowhegan, Maine) each scored twice Sunday afternoon while junior Katherine Andrusin (North Andover, Mass.) had a hand in three of the Bulldogs' four tallies to lead the Bryant University field hockey team to its fifth-straight victory, topping Northeast Conference opponent Robert Morris, 4-1, at the Bryant Turf Complex.

The scores by Jankins and Hancock marked the first goals of their Bryant careers while Andrusin's trio of assists was her first of the season as the Bulldogs (6-9, 3-0 NEC) stay at the top of the conference and remain undefeated in league play with the win.

Jankins needed just 65 seconds to notch what would go down as the game-winning goal against the Colonials (4-10, 1-2), firing a laser shot past Robert Morris goalie Stephanie Seeley directly off a penalty corner to put the home side ahead, 1-0.

The rookie doubled the Bulldogs' lead just over 10 minutes later on a nearly identical play, scoring again directly off an Andrusin insertion.

The 2-0 advantage would hold through the half, but just 2:17 into the second frame, Hancock would get on the board with her own first-career tally, redirecting an Andrusin shot past Seeley and into the cage.

Robert Morris would cut into the home side's lead at the 46:13 mark, converting one of its eight penalty corner opportunities to spoil Jennifer Gullotti's shutout bid, but the Bulldogs would get the score back 10:24 later.

Junior Courtney Landi (Kingston, N.Y.) broke free just past midfield and charged toward the Colonial cage with only Seeley in goal left to beat. Seeley came out to stop the breakaway, sliding into Landi and flipping the forward over her back to successfully take her out of the play. But the ball would sneak under the sliding Seeley and dribble through to the other side, setting up a wide open shot into an empty Colonials net for Hancock, who finished the drive for her second score and the final tally of the day.

The Bulldogs outshot their opponents, 15-6, and put nine shots on target, paced by four from Jankins. Chantele Crow, RMU's lone goal scorer, led the visitors with three shots on the afternoon. Gullotti made one stop in her sixth win of the season while a pair of Colonial goalies combined for a five-save effort. Bryant would be awarded eight penalty corners in the contest.

After starting the year 0-8, Bryant has now won six of its last seven outings and remains a perfect 4-0 on home turf. The Bulldogs will now have to put their winning streak to the test on the road, next taking the field on Friday, Oct. 22 when they visit Lawrenceville, N.J. for a 7 p.m. matchup against NEC foe Rider.