Bryant, Wagner to meet for fifth consecutive time in NEC Final on Saturday
SMITHFIELD, R.I. – It is a rivalry renewed in Smithfield on Saturday afternoon, as Bryant faces Wagner for the fifth consecutive season in the Northeast Conference Women's Lacrosse Championship after both teams clinched berths with semifinal wins Thursday.
The Bulldogs fought off Mount St. Mary's 9-8, while Wagner kept Robert Morris at bay with a 13-9 victory.
GAME INFORMATION
Opponent: No. 2 Wagner
Time: 1 p.m.
Location: Bryant Track and Turf – Smithfield, R.I.
Watch Live: ESPN3
Live Stats: Presto Sports
Live Updates via Twitter: @BryantWLax
THE SERIES
Bryant has won three of the four meetings between the two teams in the NEC Championship Game, dating back to 2014. The lone Wagner win came in 2016 when a second-half surge helped the Seahawks claim an 11-7 victory. Overall, the Bulldogs own a 10-4 series lead over Wagner, winning this year's meeting 11-10 on a Lauren Britton goal with 48 seconds left.
SCOUTING THE SEAHAWKS
Wagner enters Saturday's final with an overall record of 12-5 coming off their semifinal win over Robert Morris. Heidi Colford recording six points, while Lauren Ednie chipped in five in the victory. This is Wagner's fifth-consecutive appearance in the conference championship game.
Offensively, the Seahawks are led by Ally Alliegro and Anna Belle Reilly, who each have recorded 54 points on the year. Alliegro has 35 goals and 19 assists to her name, while Reilly has 24 goals and 30 assists. In the cage, Lucy Darlington has started 16 games in the cage, recording a 9.49 GAA and .495 save percentage.
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 9-2.
BIG TIME PLAYERS, MAKE BIG TIME PLAYS, IN BIG TIME GAMES
The Bulldogs' big three in scoring, senior Catlin Brown (San Diego, Calif.), junior Jess DeMeo (Mount Sinai, N.Y.) and sophomore Caitlin Breglia (Long Beach, N.Y.), have all produced in the NEC Championship before. Breglia led all scorers with four goals in last year's final, while DeMeo and Brown each chipped in three. In the 2016 version of the matchup, Brown led all players with four points and DeMeo added three. Senior Samantha Santeramo (Wantagh, N.Y.) played a big part in last year's win, saving 17 shots of 24 on her cage in the 16-7 victory.
FANCY SEEING YOU HERE
Bryant and Wagner will meet for the fifth consecutive time in the Northeast Conference Championship on Saturday afternoon. The Bulldogs took the titles in 2014, 2015 and 2017, while Wagner has their trophy from 2016. The overall scoreline favors Bryant in the final, at 52-34.
DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS
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 12-1 on the season. In those 12 wins, Bryant has allowed an average of 6.4 goals per game.
SANTERAMO STANDS TALL
After recording five saves in the regular-season meeting, senior Samantha Santeramo (Wantagh, N.Y.) served her revenge between the pipes against Mount St. Mary's in the semifinals on Thursday. She made 12 saves to stonewall the Mountaineer offense, allowing just eight goals to help Bryant advance.
HERE WE GO AGAIN
For the second time in the last three seasons, the Bulldogs played 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.
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. She is also four goals from breaking the single-season goals record in Bryant's D1 history. Redshirt-sophomore Melissa Wamp (Florham Park, N.J.) broke the program record with her sixth game-winning goal of the season on Thursday. The Bulldogs as a team broke the single-season Division I record for goals in a season and are 18 goals away from breaking the overall mark. Sophomore Caitlin Breglia (Long Beach, N.Y.) is three points away from besting the Division I mark for points in a season.
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 23 goals and 10 assists are both career highs, totaling a career-high 33 points. She's also matched her combined total from her freshman and sophomore seasons in ground balls (41) and exceeded that combined total in draw controls (71). 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 last Friday.
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 52-20, 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.
THE BATCHELLER FILE
Sixth-year head coach Jill Batcheller enters Friday afternoon with a 77-32 career record, including a 37-6 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.