Bryant, Brown vie for Ocean State Cup Tuesday at 4p

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – On the back of the team's best start in its young Division I history, the Bryant University women's lacrosse team puts its three-game win streak on the line and heads into arguably its toughest test of the season in a Tuesday afternoon matchup against intrastate rival Brown University for the fifth-annual Ocean State Cup.

The Bulldogs (6-2) have put together consecutive wins over Lehigh, 13-12, Lafayette, 18-12, and Quinnipiac, 18-5, dating back to March 10 as part of a 4-1 March that was spent completely on the road. Tuesday's home game at the Bryant Turf Complex marks just the second time this season the Black and Gold will play in front of the home crowd and first since Feb. 21. Bryant takes on rival Brown (7-2) on plentiful rest, having last taken the field March 20.

Bryant will need to continue to be an offensive threat if it hopes to earn the program's first-ever victory over the Bears, who are averaging 13 goals per game entering the contest. Brown is paced by a pair of 30-point scorers in Danielle Mastro (17 goals, 18 assists) and Bre Hudgins (27 goals, 4 assists), while Grace Healy (16) and Lauren Toy (15) also chip in double-figure tallies on the year.

Kellie Roddy is 7-2 between the pipes for the Bears and boasts some stellar numbers, including the seventh-best save percentage (.500) and eighth-best goals against average (7.15) in the nation entering this week's action. Brown is also strong on the draw, ranking 11th nationally as a team (14.44), with top-15 rankings in scoring defense (13th, 7.89), scoring margin (14th, +5.11) and win percentage (14th, .778), as well.

Healy and Hudgins lead the Bears on the draw with 45 and 36, respectively, while the latter adds seven caused turnovers. Erin Roos has a team-leading 15 forced giveaways with 14 ground balls, second only to 15 from rookie Kerianne Hunt (8g, 3a).

The Bulldogs will counter with top scorers Lisa Vendel (Sandy Hook, Conn.), Lauren Descalzo (Hauppauge, N.Y.), Haley Bloom (Hauppauge, N.Y.) and Kimberley Sniffen (Redding, Conn.), who all have 20 or more points to their names in 2014. Vendel leads the way with 23, including 19 scores, but it is Descalzo who has found the back of the net most often, with 21 markers in her sophomore season.

Sniffen (16g, 4a) and Vendel are two of the team's top two-way players out of the midfield and rank in the top 3 on the squad in both ground balls and draw controls. Sophomore Nicole Britton (Monmouth Beach, N.J.) has the most wins off the draw with 26.

In goal for the Black and Gold is senior Brianna Watt (Babylon, N.Y.), who has 56 saves and a .406 save percentage while allowing 9.86 tallies per contest. She has played every minute in the cage in 2014 and adds 15 ground balls.

Tuesday's game will be played at 4:00 p.m. at the Bryant Turf Complex and can be seen live and free of charge at NECFrontRow.com.