Bryant falls to RI foe Brown, 12-9

BULLDOGS TRIPPED UP BY BEARS, 12-9, SUNDAY AFTERNOON

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Reigning Northeast Conference Rookie of the Week Lauren Descalzo (Hauppauge, N.Y.) scored a game-high four goals while junior Kimberley Sniffen (Redding, Conn.) tacked on three more, but it wasn't enough for the Bryant University women's lacrosse team in a 12-9 defeat at the hands of intrastate rival Brown Sunday afternoon on the road.

Despite the Bulldogs (6-6) running out to an early 1-0 lead off a Lisa Vendel (Sandy Hook, Conn.) goal just 2:09 into the contest, the Bears (9-2) answered with four-straight tallies in less than four minutes to take a 4-1 lead over their visitors.

It was an advantage the hosts would never relinquish, despite Bryant cutting the deficit to just a single goal on three separate occasions, including 9-8 with 12:44 to play. But the Black and Gold would fight to equalize their hosts all afternoon, getting consecutive goals from Vendel and Sniffen in the 13th minute to bring the margin to 4-3 with 18:02 left in the opening stanza.

But the Bears would score twice for each Bulldog goal to close out the first half, answering scores by Descalzo (15:49) and Sniffen (1:48) to take an 8-5 edge into halftime.

Sniffen's late-period goal would mark the first of three straight for Bryant spanning the two halves, though, as Descalzo and Sniffen each got past Brown netminder Kellie Roddy to open second-half scoring and bring the visitors within one for the second time, 8-7, with 19:52 still to go in the contest.

Brown's Grace Healy interrupted the Bulldog run 40 seconds later, however, and while Descalzo would get her third score of the day at the 12:44 mark for the 9-8 margin, the Bears would respond with a three-goal stretch of their own to bring the clock down below the four-minute mark and hand Brown a four-goal cushion.

Descalzo would cut that lead to three, 12-9, with 1:47 remaining off her second free-position attempt of the day to score her fourth goal of the game, but the tally would be the last for either side.

Junior Haley Bloom (Hauppauge, N.Y.) added a pair of assists to round out just four Bulldog point getters in the contest while junior goalie Brianna Watt (Babylon, N.Y.) made seven stops between the pipes as Brown outshot Bryant, 25-19. Led by three from Sniffen, the Bulldogs picked up 10 ground balls to the Bears' seven, and while Sniffen also chipped in three caused turnovers and three draw controls, the Bears took the team margin on the draw, 16-7, led by eight from Healy.

Bryant returns to Northeast Conference action for its next matchup, a Friday afternoon bout against LIU Brooklyn on the road at 4:00 p.m.