Bulldogs battle Bears at 7:00 p.m. at Bryant Track and Turf Complex in Ocean State Cup

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Bryant University women's lacrosse team returns to the field on Wednesday night when it hosts intrastate rival Brown at 7:00 p.m. in the seventh annual Ocean State Cup.  

The Bulldogs (2-2) have not played since Feb. 28 when they fell to then-No. 11/8 Stony Brook, 18-4. The Bears (2-2) have lost their past two outings, most recently at No. 16/19 Penn on March 5, 8-3. Wednesday will mark the seventh time these two Rhode Island schools have squared off, with Brown claiming victory in each of the last six meetings.

Senior attack Nicole Britton (Monmouth Beach, N.J.) has paced the Bulldogs through the first four games with 10 points on five goals and five assists, and she ranks second in the Northeast Conference with 1.25 helpers per game. Senior attack Lauren Descalzo (Hauppauge, N.Y.) leads the team with nine goals, while sophomore Catlin Brown (San Diego, Calif.) and freshman Jess DeMeo (Mount Sinai, N.Y.) have each tallied four scores thus far.

Sophomore netminder Samantha Santeramo (Wantagh, N.Y.) has played all four games this season with three starts and holds a 10.68 goals-against average to sit second in the NEC.

Santeramo will be challenged by senior Lauren Toy, who leads the Bears with 12 points on eight goals and four assists. Sophomore Rose Mangiarotti has netted five goals this season, junior Kerianne Hunt has tallied seven points on four scores and three helpers and Jillian Lee and Sarah Nesi have each netted three goals.

Senior goalkeeper Victoria Holland leads from within the crease and has been sound for the Bears in her first season as a starter. Holland boasts a 54.5 save percentage to rank second in a talented Ivy League and 10th at the Division I level. She also sits third in the conference with a 6.67 goals-against average to rank 12th in the nation.  

Descalzo has registered 10 scores in her three-previous matchups with the Bears and Britton has charted three scores and an assist. Santeramo turned away 10 shots in last season's 12-8 loss.

Toy statted three goals and registered an assist in last year's contest, while Hunt tallied two scores and one helper against the Black and Gold in 2014.

The Bulldogs are looking for their first win at home this season, as well as their first win over Brown at the Bryant Track and Turf Complex (0-3). The Bears have averaged 17 goals per game in Smithfield dating back to the first matchup in 2010.

Wednesday's contest can be seen live on NECFrontRow.com and followed along via livestats on bryantbulldogs.com.