WOMEN’S LACROSSE READY TO OPEN SEASON AT VILLANOVA SATURDAY (3:15 P.M.)

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Entering their third season of Division I competition, the Bryant University women's lacrosse team is set to open their 2011 campaign on Saturday as they travel to Philadelphia, Pa. to take on Villanova at 3:15 p.m.

The Bulldogs, who fell 7-13 to the Wildcats last season in Smithfield, R.I., in the first-ever matchup between the sides, will be looking to avenge that loss when they head to Villanova, Penn. to face the second-year member of the powerful Big East.  Bryant went 3-13 last season (3-6 Northeast Conference), while Villanova finished 8-8 (1-7 Big East).

The Bulldogs, picked to finish seventh in the preseason coaches' poll, will be counting on several members of last year's team to help lead the squad this season. Sophomore Nicole Rettinger (Dix Hills, N.Y.), who was the lone freshman to earn All-NEC honors last year after leading the conference with 2.06 caused turnovers per game and was third with 2.88 ground balls per match, will be relied upon to guide the defense.

In net, Bryant again will turn to reliable goalkeeper Lauren Filippone (West Babylon, N.Y.), who finished last season with a .468 save percentage, good for fourth in the NEC and is entering her junior season. Fellow junior Lauren Sheridan (Bethpage, N.Y.) should be the focal point on offense after posting 38 goals and 10 assists for 48 points last season.  She also set a single-season record last year with 16 free-position goals and recorded an impressive seven hat tricks.

Junior Mackenzie Baker (Baypoint, N.Y.), who started every game last season on defense and caused 12 turnovers, joins Filippone and Sheridan as the team's captains this season.

Baker, Fillipone, Rettinger and Sheridan, along with junior Antoinette Lombardi (Wallingford, Conn.), return from last year's starting line-up. Lombardi added 10 goals and an assist, starting all 16 games in midfield last spring.

Rounding out the team's strong core of experience is another junior, Mary Green (Merrimack, N.Y.). Green, a midfielder, will be hoping for a healthier 2011 after a season-ending injury put a halt to impressive 2010 season after just six games. Green still finished the season second on the team with nine assists and has started 21 of the 22 games she has played in her two-year career at Bryant.

The team will otherwise be calling upon a very young set of players that includes 10 freshman and five sophomores, but just one senior alongside five juniors.

If the Bulldogs are to find success on Saturday, they'll need to limit the contributions of Wildcats' junior Justine Donodeo. Donodeo finished in the top eight in the Big East in scoring last season with 47 goals and 57 points, including six goals and an assist against Bryant last year.

After taking on Villanova on Saturday, the Bulldogs stay on the road to face Navy on Friday, Feb. 25, before returning to Smithfield, R.I. for the team's home open opener on Tuesday, March 1 against Siena at 3 p.m.