Three hat tricks propel Bulldogs to 18-12 victory over Lafayette Wednesday

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – A trio of players picked up a hat trick or better and the Bryant University women's lacrosse team never trailed on the road against Lafayette College, topping the Leopards, 18-12, Wednesday afternoon.

Senior midfielder Lisa Vendel (Sandy Hook, Conn.) found the back of the net four times and added an assist while classmate Kimberley Sniffen (Redding, Conn.) and sophomore attack Lauren Descalzo (Hauppauge, N.Y.) each chipped in three for the Bulldogs (5-2) in the win. The Leopards (3-4) got four scores from Ana White and three more from Charlotte Avallone and Laura Kleiber with 10 saves from goalie Meghan Curtin.

Bryant jumped out to a 2-0 lead behind goals from Sniffen and Vendel in the opening five minutes. Lafayette would bookend the next Bulldog tally with goals from Kirsten Wilhelmsen and Avallone to close the visitors' lead to 3-2, but the Black and Gold would explode for the next five-consecutive markers to take the clock down below the 12-minute mark for an 8-2 Bryant advantage.

Descalzo netted three in the stretch, with each goal separated by tallies from classmate Nicole Britton (Monmouth Beach, N.J.) and junior Shannon Burns (Mount Sinai, N.Y.). The teams would alternate goals for the remainder of the half en route to an 11-6 Bulldog lead at the break.

Bryant would score the first three of the second frame on goals by Britton, Sniffen and Vendel, and each side would score three from there for a 17-9 Bryant lead entering the final eight minutes. Junior Skylar Zlotnick (Essex Fells, N.J.) doubled up the Leopards, 18-9, with an unassisted tally that would stand as Bryant's final goal with just over seven minutes to go, and while the hosts would score three to close out the game, it was too little for a comeback in the 18-12 final margin.

Senior Olivia McCarthy (Sea Girt, N.J.) tallied a pair for the Black and Gold, as did both Britton and senior attack Haley Bloom (Hauppauge, N.Y.). Senior midfielder Katherine Keckeisen (Danbury, Conn.) added a pair of assists, while goalie Brianna Watt (Babylon, N.Y.) made five stops in the win.

The Bulldogs won the margins on shots (32-26), ground balls (17-13) and draw controls (17-15) on the contest. Watt paced the game with three ground balls while Descalzo won a contest-best five draw controls.

The Bulldogs remain on the road and wrap up their month-long road trip with a matchup against Quinnipiac in Hamden, Conn., Thursday, March 20 at 3:00 p.m.