Bryant, Brown to meet in 2018 Ocean State Cup
SMITHFIELD, R.I. – A year after winning the Ocean State Cup trophy in Providence, the Bryant University women's lacrosse team is seeking to hold onto it when they welcome their Rhode Island rivals Brown to Smithfield for a Wednesday matinee. Bryant is coming off a 17-2 victory over Hartford on Saturday in which eight different Bulldogs found the net.
The game will not be open to the general public.
GAME INFORMATION
Opponent: Brown
Time: 4:00 p.m.
Location: Conaty Indoor Athletic Center – Smithfield, R.I.
Watch Live: NEC Front Row (PxP: Jake Zimmer, Color: Matt Gosselin)
Live Stats: Presto Sports
Live Updates via Twitter: @BryantWLax
THE SERIES
Before Bryant's 9-8 victory over the Bears last season, Brown had won all eight games against their in-state rivals, including all four contested in Smithfield. The teams have played every year since Bryant's first Division I season in 2009.
SCOUTING THE BEARS
After winning their first two matchups against Quinnipiac and Holy Cross, Brown has dropped their last two games with ranked opponents, falling to No. 2 Boston College, 22-12 and No. 13 Princeton, 12-10.
They are led offensively by Risa Mosenthal, who has scored 16 goals in her first four collegiate games. Another young force for Brown has been sophomore Emma DeGennaro, who has 10 goals and four assists on the season. In the cage, sophomore Maggie Bigelow has recorded an 11.68 goals-against average.
BRYANT vs. THE IVY LEAGUE
Bryant has won one game in 15 tries against the Ivy League in their Division I history, with their victory coming last season against Brown. With nine of the games coming against their in-state rivals, they have also played four games with Yale, two with Columbia and one with Harvard.
TROPHIES... TROPHIES
For the first time, Bryant won the Ocean State Cup trophy in 2017, erasing a three-goal second-half deficit with 19 minutes left to beat their in-state rivals for the first time ever. The Bulldogs will look for their first-ever win in Smithfield over the Bears when the teams meet on Wednesday.
FOUR FOR YOU, EMMA AHLRICHS
The junior out of Zionsville, Ind. set a new career high on Saturday, scoring four goals in Bryant's 17-2 win over Hartford. With five goals already on the season, Ahlrichs has surpassed her total from last season and is four goals away from setting a new career-high for goals in a season. Her shot percentage (.714) sits ninth in the nation and first in the NEC.
0 TO 100 REAL QUICK
Junior Jess DeMeo (Mount Sinai, N.Y.) reached the 100-goal plateau in the first half of Saturday's game, the 38th of her Bulldog career. She is the fastest player in program history to reach the plateau, besting Lauren Descalzo's 40 games. She is the 6th player in Bryant's Division I history to reach the mark and the 12th in the program's history.
2 + 2 = 4
Santeramo has led Bryant's defensive unit that has allowed just four goals per game in their first two games this season, which leads the country entering Tuesday. In addition, Santeramo's save percentage of .647 leads the nation.
THREE'S COMPANY
Bryant got three hat-trick scoring efforts in Saturday's victory over Albany, with DeMeo (four goals), Caitlin Breglia (Long Beach, N.Y.) and Meredith James (Essex Falls, N.J) (three goals each) all leading the Bulldogs to a 16-6 victory. Freshman Jamie Fischer (Port Jefferson Station, N.Y.) recorded three ground balls in her Bryant debut and James led the Black and Gold with three draw controls.
DEFEND OUR DIRT
The Bulldogs extended their home winning streak to 10 games after their season-opening win over Albany on Saturday afternoon. The Black and Gold are coming off a perfect 9-0 record at the Bulldog Track and Turf Complex in 2017, in which they defeated teams by a combined margin of 84 goals. That includes five games in which Bryant defeated its opposition by 10 or more goals.
DEUCES DENIALS
Santeramo returns for her final season in the cage for the Bulldogs, fresh off a 13-win campaign in 2017. She recorded the Bulldogs' fifth scoreless half in its Division I history, and its first since 2014, after holding the Hawks without a goal in the first 30 minutes Saturday. The Wantagh, N.Y. native leads the country in save percentage (.647) and goals-against average (4.00) entering Tuesday's game.
JESS WHO'S BACK, BACK AGAIN
Coming off a 58-goal performance in her sophomore season, DeMeo returns to lead a Bulldogs attack that looks to play faster this season than last, meaning more goal-scoring opportunities for No. 8. She started the season with a five-point performance against Albany, more than her previous two season openers combined. The junior then followed that up with four more goals against Brown.