SMITHFIELD, R.I. – After narrowly missing the America East tournament due to tiebreakers the past two seasons, the Bryant University women's lacrosse team has finally returned to postseason play, having won its final five conference games to secure the No. 1 seed and their first-ever America East regular season title. The Bulldogs earned the right to host this year's championship at Beirne Stadium with action beginning on Friday, May 2.
Bryant's last appearance in a conference final came in the spring of 2022, during their time in the Northeast Conference (NEC), where their late surge for victory was no good in a narrow two-goal loss to Mount Saint Mary's.
On Friday, Bryant will face No. 4 seed UMBC (3-3 AE) in the tournament semifinals at 4 p.m. The game is a rematch of the Bulldogs' only conference loss this season, a 17-9 road defeat by the Retrievers in March.
This game marks history as Bryant's first-ever appearance in the America East tournament since joining in 2022. This is Bryant's seventh regular season conference title in program history at the Division I level.
Going into the matchup, the Bulldogs are anchored by junior Emily DeGeorge, the team's top scorer with 42 goals, and newly named America East Defender of the Year, Kaelynn O'Brien. O'Brien has been a key force on the offensive and defensive end, contributing three goals, four assists, 46 caused turnovers, 35 ground balls, and 54 draw controls.
DeGeorge has been a force offensively, totaling 42 goals and 49 points, leading the team in goals, and goals per game for the fourteenth consecutive week.
The second semifinal game will feature No. 2 UMass Lowell against No. 3 UAlbany, with the winners advancing to Sunday's title match.
Match Information:
Opponent: UMBC
Location: Smithfield, RI| Beirne Stadium
Start Time: Friday, May2nd, 4:00 PM
Watch: ESPN+
Live Stats: Sidearm
Series History:
- Bryant holds a 2-1 overall record over UMBC.
- Bryant and UMBC recently competed this spring of 2025 for a Bryant loss of 17-9
- Last matchup, senior Isabelle Katter found the back of the net three times for the Bulldogs whereas UMBC's Grace Bruce led a game high of five goals with Libby Staples and Katana Nelson following closely behind with four a piece.
Notes and Notables:
- The Bulldogs recently triumphed over UMass Lowell 15-8.
- The Black and Gold went 5-1 in America East conference play ending their regular season as the regular season champs with their UMass Lowell victory.
- Against UMBC, Bryant's largest margin of victory records a 15-10 win in 2024 whereas their largest margin of defeat leads at 17-9 loss.
- Bryant has scored 200 goals this season while conceding 184, with 81 assists and 487 shots.
- The Bulldogs have secured 40 free-position attempts, with 285 ground balls, 215 caused turnovers, and 187 draw controls.
- Emily DeGeorge leads the team in goals (42) for the fourteenth consecutive week, followed by Gabriella Constant (35) and Isabelle Katter (32).
- Jessica Tosone leads in GB's with 50 while Kaeylnn O'Brien leads in CT's with 46.
- Kaelynn O'Brien leads the Bulldog's in DC's with 54 while Katter leads the assist crew with 27.
- Goalkeeper Sam Centofante has recorded 128 saves in 16 games with a goals-against average of 12.58.
About the Retrievers:
- UMBC holds an 11-4 overall record, with a 3-3 standing in America East conference play, falling to UAlbany, Vermont, and UMass Lowell.
- The Retrievers average 15.27 goals per game and their opponents, 10.33 goals per game.
- UMBC marked Bryant's largest loss of the season with a 17-9 victory.
- The Retrievers have tallied 104 assists, 266 ground balls, 247 draw controls, and 121 caused turnovers.
- Katana Nelson leads the team in goals with 52, followed by Emily Knapp and Grace Bruce with 46 each.
- Emily Knapp leads the team in points (66), while Lizzie Bateman leads in assists (29).
- Lauryn Warfield and Grace Bruce lead draw controls with 72 and 70 respectively, while Knapp leads the team in turnovers caused with 25.
- Goalkeeper Isabella Fontana has recorded 87 saves in 15 games with a goals-against average of 10.73.
