March 13, 2010

BULLDOGS SPREAD OUT SCORING BUT CAN'T GET WIN, FALL TO QUINNIPIAC, 18-10, SATURDAY

Boxscore

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Bryant University women's lacrosse team got goals from eight different Bulldogs but couldn't come up with the win on the road, falling to Northeast Conference foe Quinnipiac University, 18-10, Saturday in Hamden, Conn.

Sophomore Lauren Sheridan (Bethpage, N.Y.) and senior captain Alli Faiola (Billerica, Mass.) each scored a pair for the Bulldogs (1-5, 1-1 NEC), who took a 2-1 lead less than five minutes into the contest. Each attacker scored in the opening minutes of the game, and Sheridan notched the first tally just 3:21 into the contest.

But Quinnipiac (1-3, 1-0) would score back-to-back-to-back goals to take over the lead, 4-2, with just under 20 minutes to go in the first frame.

Sheridan and Christine Sutherland (Brewster, N.Y.) got the game back to even at 4-4 just four minutes later, but Bryant wouldn't be able to regain the lead. Consecutive Bobcat goals gave way to back-and-forth scoring as the teams traded goals for the remainder of the opening half to take a 9-7 score in favor of the home side into the locker room at the break.

But out of the intermission, a nine-goal Quinnipiac streak was broken up just once by Bulldog tallies, a Faiola free position goal with 26:42 to play, and the home team broke away for an 18-8 advantage with 9:41 remaining on the clock.

The Bulldogs would score a pair of unanswered goals to end the game – a free position goal from Kayla Manzi (Agawam, Mass.) with 5:39 to go and the first-career goal from rookie Kelsea Gettings (Wallingford, Conn.) with 1:51 remaining – but it wouldn't be enough to come back from the 10-goal gap, as Bryant fell, 18-10, at the final whistle.

The Bobcats outshot the Bulldogs, 38-21, and got seven goals from Marissa Caroleo on the day. Bryant picked up 30 ground balls and got a game-high five caused turnovers from freshman Nicole Rettinger (Dix Hills, N.Y.). Four Bulldog goals came off free position shots while the Black and Gold won the draw control battle, 16-14. Sophomore goalkeeper Lauren Filippone (West Babylon, N.Y.) made 14 saves between the posts for the Bulldogs.

Bryant resumes play on Sunday, March 21 when it travels to Sacred Heart University for a 1 p.m. Northeast Conference matchup.