BURLINGTON, V.T. – The third-seeded Bryant women's lacrosse team fell to second-seeded UAlbany, 12-11, in a back-and-forth thriller in the America East Semifinal round on Friday night at Virtue Field.
With the loss, Bryant finishes with a 10-7 record and a 5-1 record in conference play.
The Bulldogs overcame a four-goal deficit in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 11-11 thanks to back-to-back goals from
Ava Bartoli with less than three minutes remaining. The Great Danes then scored a backbreaking goal with a little over a minute left in regulation to secure the 12-11 win and advance to the championship.
Riley O'Mara led the offensive attack for the Bulldogs, scoring five goals. She finished her senior season with 34 goals and 89 in her career.
Ashling Marshall and
Ava Bartoli each tallied two goals for the Bulldogs. Marshall finished her sophomore campaign with 20 goals. Bartoli had one career goal as a junior before tonight, but scored twice.
Game Information
UAlbany 12, Bryant 11
Records: Bryant (10-7, 5-1 AE) | UAlbany (11-5, 5-1 AE)
Location: Virtue Field, Burlington, VT
Key Moments
- The Great Danes scored the game-winning goal with 1:03 remaining in regulation.
How it Happened
- UAlbany took the 3-1 lead after the opening frame. Ashling Marshall got Bryant on the board, burying a shot in the bottom right corner on a free position shot. Sierra Donis shined in net, making 3 saves including a stop on a free position shot for UAlbany.
- The Bulldogs rattled off two goals to begin the second quarter, tying the game 3-3. Riley O'Mara cut towards the goal and skipped a shot through the five hole of the Great Dane goalkeeper. Then, Marshall converted her second free position shot of the game.
- O'Mara gave the Bulldogs their first lead of the game, cruising past the defense and sneaking a shot into the left corner. The Great Danes responded just 1:19 later, leveling the score at 4-4 going into halftime.
- The Great Danes scored just 49 seconds into the second half. They tacked on three more to grab the 8-4 lead entering the media timeout.
- O'Mara converted a free position shot to complete the hat trick. The Bulldogs cut the deficit to 8-5 to end the third quarter.
- The fourth quarter proved to be a roller coaster. UAlbany went up 10-6, but Bryant responded with a 3-0 run powered by two goals from O'Mara and one from Rylee Slate. The Great Danes got one back to take the 11-9 lead. Then, an unsung hero emerged in Ava Bartoli. She rocketed a shot into the upper right corner on a free position shot. She then worked her way open in front of the cage and tacked on another to tie the score at eleven a piece. The two goals marked the second and third of her career.
- Maya Carroll buried the dagger for the Great Danes with 1:03 remaining to earn the 12-11 victory.
Stats
- Both teams had 29 shots.
- The Bulldogs caused 3 turnovers.
- Bryant held a 14-11 edge in draw controls.
- UAlbany held a 22-9 edge in ground balls.
- O'Mara led Bryant with five goals.
- Marshall and Bartoli each tallied two goals.
- Larsen recorded a goal and three assists.
- Slate added a goal.
- Kaelynn O'Brien recorded two ground balls and a draw control.
- Jessica Tosone recorded two draw controls and a caused turnover.
- Julia Girard recorded a game-high 10 draw controls.
- Sierra Donis made a career-high 13 saves.
Game Notes
- Bryant moves to 2-8 all-time against UAlbany.
- Donis made a career-high 13 saves in net.
- O'Mara recorded her fourth hat trick of the season, and scored 5 goals for the second time this season. She finished her career with 10 playoff goals.
- Marshall scored in each of the last 11 games to close out the season. She now has 4 career playoff goals in two seasons.
- Larsen recorded three assists, finishing with a career-high 29 helpers this season. She now has 13 career playoff points (4 goals, 9 assists) in three seasons.
- Girard finished her sensational freshman season with 120 draw controls and averaged over 10.0 draw controls per game in the final five games.
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