Bryant drops to Howard in home opener

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Redshirt-senior Alex DaCosta (Bristol, R.I.) scored his first goal as Bulldog, while sophomore Ben Williams (Unionville, Ontario) scored his third of the season, but Bryant ultimately dropped 3-2 to Howard in the 2019 home opener Sunday.

Game Information

Howard 3, Bryant 2

Records: Howard 1-3-0, Bryant 1-4-0

Location: Bulldog Soccer Field | Smithfield, R.I.

Coach Purcell's Comments

"I'm very disappointed with our performance today. We never really got into our rhythm, nor dictated the pace of play. We need to learn from this and move on quickly as we play UMass on Tuesday."

Key Moment

With only five minutes to go, Daniel Hart hit one hard off the right goal post and bounced back past senior Olivier Larente (LaSalle, Montreal), giving the Bison their first win of the season.

Scoring Summary

• 16th minute – Howard 1, Bryant 0 – Daniel Hart made a short pass to Andres Gomez who was able to fire one past Larnente for the goal.
• 23rd minute – Bryant 1, Howard 1 – After a corner kick the ball landed inside the box and sophomore Ben Williams took a shot that was initially saved by the Howard goalkeeper, but bounced out of his grasp, allowing Williams to fire another shot past him for his third consecutive game in a row with a goal.
• 32nd minute – Howard 2, Bryant 1– The Bison answered back with a goal from Joseph Abusada from the right side of the box.
• 65th minute – Bryant 2, Howard 2 – Bryant tied it up again after DaCosta charged down the field and sent one flying into the back of the net.
• 85th minute – Howard 3, Bryant 2 – Daniel Hart fired a shot off the post that deflected to the left, past Larente and to the back of the net.

Stats and Notes

• DaCosta's goal was his first in a Bryant uniform, giving him six points total on the season.
• Williams leads the Bulldogs with seven points overall after scoring for the third consecutive game.
• Williams and DaCosta both lead the team with five shots, Williams fired three on target while DaCosta had two on goal.
• Larente made three saves in net for the Bulldogs.
• Bryant outshot Howard after firing a season-high 17 shots towards frame to the Bison's 10.
• Corner kicks and fouls were nearly even in the match with five corner kicks a piece, 12 Bulldog fouls and 11 Bison fouls.

Up Next

The Bulldogs play their second of five games in a row at home when they host UMass Tuesday afternoon at 3 p.m. on the Bulldog Soccer Field.