Bulldogs visit LIU Fri., host Sacred Heart Sun. for Senior Day

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Bryant University women's lacrosse team will look to lockup the top seed in the Northeast Conference standings over the weekend when it heads to LIU Brooklyn on Friday (4 p.m.) before returning home to host Sacred Heart on Sunday (1 p.m.) for Senior Day.

The Bulldogs, winners of their last five, enter weekend action atop the NEC standings with a perfect 5-0 record against league opponents. After a narrow, double OT win over Wagner on April 4, the Black and Gold have been dominant against conference foes, outscoring teams by nearly 10 goals per contest. Last time out at Central Connecticut on April 18, Olivia McCarthy (Sea Grit, N.J.) and Kimberley Sniffen (Redding, Conn.) each put up five-point outings to secure Bryant's 16-6 rout of the Blue Devils.

On Friday, the Black and Gold will venture to the Big Apple for a 4 p.m. showdown with LIU Brooklyn. The Blackbirds enter Friday's contest with a 3-11 overall record, 1-4 in the NEC coming off a tough 16-8 loss at Sacred Heart on Friday. Freshman midfielder Jenn Peters leads the team with 47 points on 34 goals and 13 assists while classmates Danita Stroup and Mary McQueen rank second and third in scoring with 38 and 28 points, respectively. Sophomore Alexis Maldonado handles the majority of the netminding duties, logging more than 800 minutes with a 15.77 goals against average and a .370 save percentage. Last year, the Bulldogs dominated the Blackbirds, 16-3, behind five points from senior attack Haley Bloom (Hauppauge, N.Y.).

On Sunday, Bryant returns home to wrap up the regular season when they host Sacred Heart for Senior Day 2014. The Pioneers enter weekend action with a 4-9 overall record and will play at Central Connecticut on Friday before heading to Smithfield. Most recently, Sacred Heart picked up a convincing win over LIU Brooklyn and will look to ride that momentum into the fourth and final spot in the upcoming NEC Tournament. Senior midfielder Shelby Vaccaro leads her team with 51 points on 39 goals and 12 assists while classmate Kelly Keenan is allowing 12.66 goals per game between the pipes. Last season, the Bulldogs took down the Pioneers, 17-9, thanks to five goals from sophomore attack Lauren Descalzo (Hauppauge, N.Y.).

The Bulldogs will look to clinch home field advantage throughout the NEC Tournament for the first time in program history with a pair of wins over the weekend.