SMITHFIELD, R.I. – On the heels of a five-point afternoon from junior forward Rosie Bird (Hamilton, New Zealand), the Bryant University field hockey team earned a much-needed 3-2 overtime win at Siena on Friday.

Nearly 13 minutes into the overtime period, Bird received a pass from senior Mallory Hancock (Skowhegan, Maine) inside the scoring circle. The junior spun and fired a blast past the Siena keeper for her second score of the day, granting the Bulldogs the 3-2 victory and a 1-0 start in MAAC play.

Mallory Hancock and Bird got things started for Bryant in the first half as the tandem broke the scoreless tie with Bird's first marker of the contest at the 16:46 mark. For the next 30 minutes of play, the two squads remained scoreless until Siena's Megan Bohse knotted it up, 1-1, off a penalty corner at the 38:17 mark.

Just over eight minutes later, sophomore midfielder Kimberly Lizotte (Littleton, Mass.) pushed Bryant back out front with her second goal of the season off a helper from Bird.

With time ticking down, Siena's Gabrielle Sullivan corralled a rebound in front of the Bryant net and beat keeper Megan Hancock (Skowhegan, Maine) to even the score once again, 2-2.

The two teams stood gridlocked, 2-2, for nearly the entire first overtime period until Bird found the back of the net with her second strike of the contest to snap Bryant's three-game skid.

Despite the dramatics, Bryant earns its first victory of MAAC play, improving to 8-4 overall on the year. The Bulldogs will have the rest of the week off before returning to action the following weekend when they host Rider (Fri.) and Monmouth (Sun.).

For all the latest news on the Bryant University field hockey team, visit BryantBulldogs.com.