Powerful start leads Bulldogs to Senior Day victory, NEC postseason berth

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – 12 straight goals to start the game and a defensive clinic by a senior-led squad helped the Bryant University women's lacrosse team give their senior class a day they'll remember on Senior Day and also clinched the program's sixth consecutive berth into the Northeast Conference Postseason with a win over Saint Francis U on Sunday afternoon.

GAME INFORMATION

Bryant 21, Saint Francis U

Records: Bryant (10-4, 5-0 NEC), Saint Francis U (5-10, 1-4 NEC)

Location: Bryant Track and Turf Complex – Smithfield, R.I.

COACH BATCHELLER'S COMMENTS

"It was such an awesome day to be able to celebrate our seniors. Our team came out with a ton of energy from the first draw and everybody was ready to step up and honor them by playing their best game. Our attack was very cohesive and everybody was working on the same page, making everyone a threat. Our defense did a great job executing our gameplan going in and that resulted in a lot of caused turnovers and ground balls and it was all-around a great day for our seniors."

KEY MOMENT

After redshirt sophomore Melissa Wamp (Florham Park, N.J.) started the game with a pair of goals in 4:25, the floodgates opened, with Bryant scoring eight goals before 10 minutes were played.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Of the 12 straight goals Bryant scored to start the game, Wamp scored four of them and added an assist on the final tally at the 8:29 mark from sophomore Caitlin Breglia (Long Beach, N.Y.).
• Jessica Fischetti and Emileigh Scott scored 2:48 apart late in the half to cut Bryant's lead to 10.
• Junior Lauren Britton (Monmouth Beach, N.J.) beat the buzzer with a shot to the far post to end the first half with Bryant in control at 13-2.
• Wamp started the second half with a goal at the 29:07 mark, her fifth of the afternoon.
• Bryant would score seven more goals the rest of the way, coming from six different sources. Sophomores Leah Nocera (Westwood, Mass.), Maggie Pressler (Smithfield, R.I.) and Francesca Smigliani (Hanover, Mass.) would add goals, while freshmen Caitlin Bolen (Queensbury, N.Y.) and Megan McCarthy (Northampton, Mass.) also struck for Bryant offensively.
• Jessica Mazzur added two goals in the second half for the Red Flash, whose final strike came at the 5:44 mark from the stick of Morgan Day.

STATS

• After outshooting Saint Francis 24-4 in the first half, the Bulldogs kept the distance in the second half, finishing with a 36-16 margin.
• Bryant only committed five turnovers in the game to the Red Flash's 12.
• The draw controls favored Saint Francis 14-13.
• Bryant scored on six of their 10 free position shots, while Saint Francis did not score on any of their five.
• Wamp led all scorers with six points.
• Britton and her classmate, Jess DeMeo (Mount Sinai, N.Y.), along with senior Catlin Brown (San Diego, Calif.) all chipped in three points.
• Senior Laura Fullam (Massapequa, N.Y.), junior Meredith James (Essex Fells, N.J.) and Britton all finished with three draw controls.
• Sophomores Katherine Clark (New Fairfield, Conn.) and Kelly Jacobsen (Northport, N.Y.) each caused two turnovers.
• Freshman Jamie Fischer (Port Jefferson Station, N.Y.) joined senior Emily Columbus (East Northport, N.Y.), Britton, Fullam and Clark with two ground balls each.

NOTES

• This is the fourth game the Bulldogs have won by 15 goals or more this season and the third time in the last six outings they have won by that margin.
• Bryant improves to 10-0 when leading at half.
• The Bulldogs were perfect on the clear (14-14) for the first time since the season-opener vs. Albany.
• McCarthy and Smigliani scored the first goals of their career.
• Wamp eclipsed her previous career-high of four goals and recorded her first-career assist this afternoon.
• Britton recorded her fourth-career hat trick, with her previous coming at Siena on March 31.
• Columbus matched her career-high with two assists on the afternoon.

UP NEXT

The Bulldogs close their regular season next weekend with a road trip that starts on Staten Island and a rematch of the 2017 Northeast Conference title game on Friday at 3 p.m.