Descalzo scores five, Bulldogs top Mountaineers, 14-6, Sunday

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Behind a five-goal outburst from sophomore attack Lauren Descalzo (Hauppauge, N.Y.), the Bryant University women's lacrosse team picked up a well-earned, 14-6, victory at Mount St. Mary's, Sunday afternoon in Emmitsburg, Md.

The Bulldogs (8-3, 2-0 Northeast Conference) are off to a 2-0 start in league play for the second-straight season and are now just one of two unbeaten teams in the NEC (Robert Morris), while the Mountaineers fall to 1-10 overall on the year.

"It's never easy to win on the road, especially in conference," said Bryant head coach Jill DePetris-Batcheller. "But we are extremely happy coming out of this weekend with two wins in a pair of hard fought battles."

Despite the lopsided final score, the Black and Gold were only up two goals, 7-5, at halftime, but a 7-1 scoring margin in the second half pushed the Bulldogs to the convincing 14-6 victory.

Friday's hero Lisa Vendel (Sandy Hook, Conn.) broke the scoreless tie at the 28:31 mark of the first half with her only score of the day, while senior midfielder Katherine Keckeisen (Danbury, Conn.) added a goal less than 30 seconds later to grant Bryant the early 2-0 edge.

After a goal from The Mount cut the deficit in half, the Bulldogs added two more thanks to senior midfielder Kimberley Sniffen (Redding, Conn.) and Descalzo, pushing their lead to three goals, 4-1, just over five minutes into the contest.

Mount St. Mary's would respond, however, scoring four of their next six goals to cut the Bryant lead to just one, 6-5, but a Morgan LaBarbera (New Fairfield, Conn.) tally at the 1:25 mark pushed the Bulldog advantage to 7-5 heading into halftime.

"After only being up two goals at halftime, I was extremely pleased that we were able to make necessary adjustments to open up a big lead in the second half," added DePetris-Batcheller. "We ended up with seven different scorers which really shows how dynamic we can be on the attacking side."

Despite a hard fought first half, the second frame was dominated by the Black and Gold as they outscored the hosts, 7-1, including a trio of scores from Descalzo. Olivia McCarthy (Sea Grit, N.J.), Haley Bloom (Hauppauge, N.Y.), Sniffen and LaBarbera also added second-half markers as the Bulldogs coasted to a huge 14-6 win.

Senior goalkeeper Brianna Watt (Babylon, N.Y.) was once again solid in net, making eight saves in her eighth win of the year.

"This weekend was a huge confidence booster, winning our first two NEC games of the year on the road," stated DePetris-Batcheller. "And will help us head into next week on a positive note."

Looking ahead, the Bulldogs will host a pair of NEC opponents over the weekend at the Bryant Turf Complex, welcoming Robert Morris Friday (4 p.m.) and Saint Francis U. on Sunday (12 p.m.).