Field hockey heads to Fairfield, host Sacred Heart for MAAC-filled weekend

GAME NOTES - Fairfield

GAME NOTES - Sacred Heart

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Bryant University field hockey resumes conference play Friday when they travel to Fairfield for a 4 p.m. meeting with the Stags. On Sunday, the Bulldogs will host Sacred Heart at 4 p.m. at Goldberger Family Field in Providence, returning home after three consecutive road games.

The Particulars 

Opponent: Fairfield University

Date: Oct. 13, 2017

Location: University Field (Fairfield, Conn.)

Game Time: 4 p.m. EDT

Live Stats: Sidearm

Live Stream: Stags Sports Network

Series History

• Friday will be the sixth meeting between the two schools.
• Fairfield holds a 4-1 record over the Bulldogs. The teams met twice last season, with Bryant topping the Stags in the regular season and Fairfield coming out victorious in the first round of the MAAC Tournament.

A bit about the Stags

• Fairfield comes into the weekend with a 3-10 overall record and a 1-1 mark in conference play. They topped preseason-favorite Monmouth, 3-1, and fell to LIU Brooklyn, 2-1.
• Andrea Soler comes into Friday's game with 12 points to lead Fairfield. Soler has scored five goals and assisted on two others.
• Hannah Pike also has double-digit points, scoring three goals and helping on four others to total 10 points.
• Fairfield has split time in goals between Caitlin Gilligan and Zoe Rosen. Gilligan has played the majority of minutes, accumulating a 2-8 record in 11 games for the Stags. Rosen has played 301 minutes and is 1-2 in the cage.
• Fairfield is coached by Jackie Kane, who is in her 26th year leading the Stags. Kane has led Fairfield to 162 wins in her time in Connecticut.

The Particulars 

Opponent: Sacred Heart University

Date: Oct. 15, 2017

Location: University Field (Fairfield, Conn.)

Game Time: 4 p.m. EDT

Live Stats: Presto

Live Stream: Bryant Sports Network

Series History

• Sunday is the 10th meeting between the two schools, having met every year since Bryant joined Division I in 2008.
• Sacred Heart is 4-5 all-time versus Bryant. The past two seasons, the Bulldogs have came out victorious over the Pioneers, including a 5-2 victory in last year's game in Fairfield.

A bit about the Pioneers

• The Pioneers come into Sunday's game with a 5-9 overall record with a 1-1 conference mark. Sacred Heart fell to Monmouth, 4-0, and topped Siena, 3-1, in MAAC play.
• Nichole Tolli leads the Pioneers with 13 points, scoring five goals and adding three helpers.
• Bridget LaRiccia is second on the team in scoring, having four goals to total eight points.
• Sacred Heart has split time between two goalkeepers, Emily Degennaro and Hailey Power. Power has seen the majority of minutes and comes into Sunday's game with a 3-4 record in goal with a .747 save percentage.
• The Pioneers are coached by Sydney Van Der Merwe. Van Der Merwe is in his second season at Sacred Heart and has composed a 6-24 record prior to squaring off with the Bulldogs on Sunday.

Bryant Notes and Notables

• Freshman Alex Neumann (Auckland, New Zealand) leads Bryant in scoring this season. Neumann has scored four goals and has one assist. In a 4-1 loss against Yale, Neumann scored a goal to bring the game within a goal in the second half.
• Senior Keighan Richardson (North Attleboro, Mass.) and junior Victoria Newbill (Wilton, Maine) lead Bryant with three assists. Richardson notched two of her assists at Dartmouth. Richardson acts as the primary inserter during penalty corners for the Bulldogs.
• Newbill continues to build on her impressive season. The junior has set a career high in points already in 2017, having scored two goals and assisting on three others, giving her seven points. Her previous career high was four, which she set in her freshman and sophomore seasons.
• Bryant has had seven of its goals scored by freshmen in 2017. Neumann leads the team with three, while Ally Burdick (Cambridge, N.Y.), Kylie Nelson(Searsmont, Maine) and Madison Demand (Waretown, N.J.) have each added a goal each for the season.
• Junior Emily Perryman (Lebanon, N.H.) scored the game-winning goal during the team's win over Colgate on Sept. 24. It was the fifth game-winning goal of Perryman's career, having two each in her freshman and sophomore seasons.
• Bryant's captains in 2017 are seniors Grace Farrell (Milford, Pa.), Keighan Richardson (North Attleboro, Mass.), and Bethany Winkin (Winslow, Maine).