BULLDOGS TO HOST LEAGUE RIVALS ROBERT MORRIS AND SAINT FRANCIS (PA) IN FINAL TILTS OF 2010 SEASON
April 15, 2010
BULLDOGS TO HOST LEAGUE RIVALS ROBERT MORRIS AND SAINT FRANCIS (PA) IN FINAL TILTS OF 2010 SEASON
SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Bryant University women’s lacrosse team will host a pair of home contests to close out the 2010 season this weekend, hosting Northeast Conference opponent Robert Morris on Friday, April 16 (4 p.m.) before celebrating 2010 Senior Day in the Bulldogs' season finale against Saint Francis (PA) on Sunday, April 18 (1 p.m.).
The Bulldogs (2-12, 2-5 NEC) look to move up the conference ladder in their final bouts of just their second Division I season, but they will have to neutralize a pair of the league’s top scorers to do so.
The Colonials (5-8, 3-4) come to Smithfield looking to snap a three-game losing skid and will look to leading scorers Alana Beck and Ashley Trombetta to shoulder much of the scoring load. The pair enter Friday’s game with 79 points between them, with Beck’s 32 goals leading the way.
Robert Morris boasts seven scorers with double-digit goals on the season, including a trio with over 20 tallies (Beck, 32; Trombetta, 24; Ali Gibbons, 21).
But Bryant will also need to solve Erica Webb between the pipes. The goalie has started all 13 games for the Colonials in 2010 and posts a 10.75 goals against average and has recorded 125 saves on 328 shots faced this year.
The Red Flash will visit the Bryant Turf Complex Sunday afternoon for 2010 Senior Day, where five Bulldog seniors will play in their final matchup donning the Black and Gold.
But Sunday marks the regular-season finale for Saint Francis (PA) as well, and leading scorer Kate Simmons will look to send her team back home with a W. Simmons has 36 goals and 13 assists entering weekend action and is one of three Red Flash who boast 20+ goals in 2010. Chelsea Kent follows with 24 goals and a team-best 15 helpers while Danielle Conwell adds 21 tallies and four dishes to pace Saint Francis, who has 145 scores on the year as a team.
Danielle Pokusa protects the net for the Red Flash and allows 14.15 goals per game, but has turned away 132 shots on the season to enter the game with a 6-8 record.
The Red Flash will start their final weekend of 2010 regular-season action at Central Connecticut Friday afternoon (1 p.m.) and enter that game 5-9 overall and 2-5 in conference play.
Bryant will need stellar play from top scorers Lauren Sheridan (Bethpage, N.Y.) and senior captain Alli Faiola (Billerica, Mass.) to walk away with a pair of wins on the weekend and a near .500 conference record on the season. Sheridan’s 35 goals are good for seventh overall in the NEC while her 3.21 points per outing are good for eighth.
Faiola adds 21 goals and four assists to the mix, while junior Meg Atha (Valley Cottage, N.Y.) enters 2010’s final weekend with 18 goals. Bryant will look for sophomore Lauren Filippone (West Babylon, N.Y.) to stand tall between the posts after posting three-straight double-digit save outings, as the second-year goalie boasts a 14.78 goals against average and .467 save percentage entering Friday’s contest.
Sunday’s Senior Day will mark the final contest for seniors Jessica Bolton (Belgrade Lakes, Maine), Eliza DeMarseilles (Branford, Conn.), Nikole Such (Wrightstown, N.J.), Victoria Kuhns (South Windsor, Conn.) and Faiola.