SMITHFIELD, RI – Riley O'Mara led the charge with three goals and two assists as the top-seeded Bryant women's lacrosse team earned a comeback victory, 12-9 over fourth-seeded UMBC on Friday afternoon at Beirne Stadium.

With the win, the Bulldogs improve to 11-6  and secure a spot in the America East Championship. Bryant advances to its first conference title game since 2022 and will take on third-seeded UAlbany, an 18-10 victor over second-seeded UMass Lowell in Friday's second semifinal. The America East Championship game is set for Sunday, May 4th at 12:00 p.m.

Bryant trailed 6-1 after the first quarter and 7-3 at the half before outscoring the Retrievers 9-1 in the second half. O'Mara and Gabriella Constant each recorded second-half hat tricks to lead Bryant's comeback victory.

Kaelynn O'Brien, the America East Defensive Player of the Year and conference leader in caused turnovers, turned the tide with four caused turnovers and five ground balls. She also set a new single-season program record with 50 caused turnovers, surpassing the previous mark of 33 set back in 2010, leaving her just four shy of the America East conference record as well.

Game Information:
Matchup: Bryant vs. UMBC
Records: Bryant (11-6) | UMBC (11-5)
Location: Smithfield, RI| Beirne Stadium
Date: May 2nd, 2025
Time: 4:00 PM

Notes and Notables:

• Riley O'Mara led the offense with a game-high three goals and two assists.
• Gabriella Constant tied O'Mara with with a hat trick of her own.
• Elise Larsen and Ashling Marshall racked up two goals of their own, Marshall opening up scoring for the Bulldogs in the first.
• Isabelle Katter contributed two key assists.
• The win marks Bryant's first America East semifinal victory and first postseason win since 2022.
• Bryant has now advanced to the championship game for the eighth time in DI program history.

How It Happened:
First Quarter:
UMBC started strong with a series of quick goals from Grace Bruce and Katana Nelson. Bryant responded with a free-position goal by Ashling Marshall to kick off scoring for the Bulldogs, but UMBC quickly answered with three more goals. The quarter was capped by another strike from Katana Nelson, giving the Retrievers a 6-1 lead.

Second Quarter:
Bryant added two goals in the second quarter, one from Elise Larsen, her first of the game and 14th of the season, and another from Amelia Piercy at the one-minute mark. UMBC added a goal of their own in between, and the teams entered halftime with the Retrievers leading 7-3.

Third Quarter:
Bryant entered back into the game with the help of Ashling Marshall, Elise Larsen, and Gabriella Constant, each hammering down a goal of their own to put the Bulldogs back into play. UMBC's lone goal of the quarter came from Annika Wray. Meanwhile, Riley O'Mara clocked a commanding unassisted goal bringing the Bulldogs to within one, 8-7. 

Fourth Quarter:
Bryant continued their dominant performance in the final quarter with multiple goals from Gabriella Constant and Riley O'Mara. Piercy tied the game at 8-8 a minute into the fourth quarter before Staples gave the Retrievers a 9-8 lead with 10:40 to go. Constant then scored back-to-back goals to give Bryant its first lead of the game with 5:45 left. O'Mara put the game away with two goals in the final four minutes.

Scoring Summary:
First Quarter
14:47 – Grace Bruce (UMBC, unassisted) – UMBC 1-0
12:00 – Katana Nelson (UMBC, unassisted) – UMBC 2-0
11:40 – Katana Nelson (UMBC, assisted by Grace Bruce) – UMBC 3-0
08:00 – Ashling Marshall (Bryant, free-position) – UMBC 3-1
07:30 – Emily Knapp (UMBC, unassisted) – UMBC 4-1
03:35 – Grace Bruce (UMBC, unassisted) – UMBC 5-1
00:11 – Katana Nelson (UMBC, unassisted) – UMBC 6-1

Second Quarter
09:21 – Elise Larsen (Bryant, assisted by Riley O'Mara) – UMBC 6-2
04:24 – Lauryn Warfield (UMBC, assisted by Grace Bruce) – UMBC 7-2
01:01 – Amelia Piercy (Bryant, assisted by Elise Larsen) – UMBC 7-3

Third Quarter
12:02 – Elise Larsen (Bryant, unassisted) – UMBC 7-4
08:34 – Ashling Marshall (Bryant, unassisted) – UMBC 7-5
03:27 – Gabriella Constant (Bryant, unassisted) – UMBC 7-6
04:17 – Annika Wray (UMBC, unassisted) – UMBC 8-6
03:27 – Riley O'Mara (Bryant, unassisted) – UMBC 8-7

Fourth Quarter
07:10 – Gabriella Constant (Bryant, unassisted) – Tied 8-8
05:45 – Gabriella Constant (Bryant, unassisted) – Bryant 9-8
04:15 – Riley O'Mara (Bryant, unassisted) – Bryant 10-8
01:08 – Riley O'Mara (Bryant, unassisted) – Bryant 11-8

Final: Bryant 12, UMBC 9

Up Next:
The top-seeded Bulldogs will compete against third-seeded UAlbany in the America East title game. Gametime is set for 12:00 p.m. on Sunday, May, 4.