Bulldogs snap skid behind play of Larocque and Stewart

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – On the heels of Brett Larocque's (Ottawa, Ont.) league-leading fourth goal of the season, the Bryant University men's soccer team blanked UMass Lowell, 1-0, Thursday afternoon at Bulldog Soccer Field.

With the win, the Bulldogs (2-3) snap a two-game skid, overcoming an injury-ridden September to thwart the momentum of an up-and-coming River Hawks (2-3) team that had won two in-a-row coming into Thursday's match.

The two teams stood scoreless heading into the 45th minute of play until a promising Bulldog possession saw the ball into Ryan Rose (Acton, Mass.) inside the UMass Lowell 18-yard box. Rose quickly chipped a pass toward Larocque who turned and lofted the eventual game winner into the back of the net just before the first half expired.

The second half brought along multiple scoring chances for the Bulldogs, particularly for Larocque, who had three shots on the day, and freshman Thomas Binder (Vienna, Austria), who also took a trio of shots in the match.

However, perhaps most impressive for Bryant on Thursday was the play of freshman goalkeeper Nick Stewart (South Windsor, Conn.), who made five saves without allowing a single UMass Lowell goal in his first-career appearance donning the Black and Gold. On the day, Bryant outshot the visitors, 16-11, earning six corners compared to just a pair for the River Hawks. Stewart's counterpart Austin Kroll made five saves of his own in his fifth start between the pipes for UMass.

The Bulldogs will look to get back to .500 on Sunday when they visit Rider for a 12 p.m. start before returning home for five-straight games from Sept. 20 – Oct. 12.

For all the latest news on the Bryant University men's soccer team, visit BryantBulldogs.com.