Bulldogs, Mountaineers set for NEC Semifinal bout Thursday
SMITHFIELD, R.I. – After finishing its regular season at 11-5 and winning six of the seven Northeast Conference contests, Bryant will play host to its fifth-consecutive conference tournament starting on Thursday afternoon when they play the four-seed Mount St. Mary's in the first of two semifinals.
The Bulldogs are coming off a 12-6 loss to The Mount in the regular-season finale for the two squads. Bryant fired 20 shots on cage, but Mount St. Mary's goalie Jillian Petito made 14 saves to keep Bryant's offense at bay.
GAME INFORMATION
Opponent: No. 4 Mount St. Mary's
Time: 1 p.m.
Location: Bryant Track and Turf -- Smithfield, R.I.
Watch Live: NEC Front Row
Live Stats: Presto Sports
Live Updates via Twitter: @BryantWLax
THE SERIES
Mount St. Mary's owns the latest edition of the series between the two teams, but Bryant still holds the overall 5-4 advantage. Since Bryant became postseason eligible in the 2013 season, the Bulldogs and Mountaineers have not faced off in the Northeast Conference tournament.
SCOUTING THE MOUNTAINEERS
The Mount punched their ticket to the 2018 NEC postseason with a win over Central Connecticut on Friday and are in the four spot after losing the head-to-head tiebreaker with Robert Morris.
They are led offensively by sophomore Carly Miller and junior Taylor Carhart. Miller enters the day as the team's points leader with 44, while Carhart has provided the most goals with 31. In the cage, Jillian Petito has played every minute, allowing an 8.51 goals-against average and saving .561 percent of the shots on her cage.
BRYANT vs. THE NORTHEAST CONFERENCE
A three-time tournament champion in the league, Bryant has gone 37-6 in the Northeast Conference under Jill Batcheller. The Bulldogs have not lost more than one NEC regular season matchup since 2013 and currently own a tournament record of 8-2.
HERE WE GO AGAIN
For the second time in the last three seasons, the Bulldogs will play the same opponent they faced in the regular season finale in the first round of the Northeast Conference tournament. In the 2016 season, the Bulldogs knocked off Sacred Heart 16-5 on their Senior Day and then defeated the Pioneers on a Meaghan Brennan (Glen Head, N.Y.) goal with 2:03 left in the first overtime to move onto the final.
STRONG SEMIFINALISTS
Each of the six years that the Bulldogs have made the Northeast Conference semifinals, Bryant has pulled away victorious. They have averaged 12.5 goals per game in their six semifinal appearances and have outscored opponents 75-42.
RECORDS ARE THERE TO BE BROKEN
Bryant has already had three program records fall, with juniors Meredith James (Essex Fells, N.J.) and Lauren Britton (Monmouth Beach, N.J.) both breaking Shannon Burns' draw control mark set in 2015. Junior Jess DeMeo (Mount Sinai, N.Y.) has the program's most man-up goals (6) and free-position goals (24) recorded in a single season. Redshirt-sophomore Melissa Wamp (Florham Park, N.J.) is tied for the most game-winning goals in program history with five. The Bulldogs as a team are seven goals away from breaking the Division I single-season record for the most in a season, while they already have the most free-position strikes (69) for a team in the program's D1 history.
CALIFORNIA CENTURY MARK
Bryant's lone west-coast representative, senior Catlin Brown (San Diego, Calif.), recorded her 100th career goal on Friday afternoon when she tied the game with 1:17 left. She is the 7th player in the Bulldogs' Division I history to reach the milestone and the 13th player ever to wear the Black and Gold and score 100 goals.
GREAT BRITTON
Junior Lauren Britton (Monmouth Beach, N.J.) has been a critical part of the Bryant midfield this season, contributing everything from scoring to draw controls and caused turnovers. Her 22 goals and 10 assists are both career highs, totaling a career-high 32 points. She's also matched her combined total from her freshman and sophomore seasons in ground balls (37) and exceeded that combined total in draw controls (67). The Monmouth Beach, N.J. also clinched home-field for the Bulldogs in the Northeast Conference playoffs with a goal with 48 seconds left to lift Bryant to an 11-10 win over Wagner Friday night.
SENIORS 2K18
The Senior Class of 2018 has been a key contributor to the Bulldog's success over the past four seasons. They have gone for a regular season record of 51-20, including a dominating 25-3 regular season record against NEC opponents. They hold two NEC Tournament titles and look to capture their third ring in four seasons.
SAVES BY SANTERAMO
Senior Samantha Santeramo (Wantagh, N.Y.) brought her best in the biggest game of the season, stopping 15 shots in Bryant's win over Wagner Friday. She has now made 27 saves in two career games on Staten Island and matched her season-high which she set in the Ocean State Cup vs. Brown on March 7.
DEFENSE WINS... EVERYTHING
Bryant's defense has been a difference-maker for the Black and Gold in 2018, standing tall in wins. When holding teams to 10 or fewer goals, the Bulldogs are 11-1 on the season. In those ten wins, Bryant has allowed an average of 6.3 goals per game.
THE BATCHELLER FILE
Sixth-year head coach Jill Batcheller enters Friday afternoon with a 75-32 career record, including a 36-6 record in Northeast Conference games. She has not had a losing season in her tenure, and her teams have won at least 13 games in each of the last four seasons.