Sacred Heart edges out Bryant, 12-11

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Sacred Heart grew an early lead the Bryant University women's lacrosse team was unable to recover from as the Bulldogs fell, 12-11, on Wednesday evening at Beirne Stadium.

GAME INFORMATION
Sacred Heart 12, Bryant 11
Records: Bryant (2-4, 2-4) | Sacred Heart (3-6, 3-5)
Location: Beirne Stadium (Smithfield, R.I.)

COACH ROCHE'S COMMENTS

"We dug ourselves into a hole early on in the game that we, unfortunately, could not come back from. Our players played with intensity but failed to execute. We are focused on getting better and preparing for our next opponent."

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Sacred Heart got off to a quick start by netting a goal within the first minute of the game followed by a second goal nine minutes later.
• Madison Henry buried a free position opportunity to break up the Pioneer's scoring, but Sacred Heart responded with four-straight to grow a five-goal cushion.
• Two-straight free position goals from the Bolen twins sparked a four-goal run for the Black and Gold to close the gap and pull within one, 6-5.
• Both teams went on to score one more before the end of the first half as Sacred Heart led, 7-6.
• Sacred Heart's Kerri Metzler opened the scoring in the second half as the teams traded a goal for a goal and kept the score close at 9-8 in the Pioneers' favor.
• The Pioneers netted back-to-back goals within an eight-minute span to grow a three-goal lead, 10-8.
• Senior Emma Lindquist netted a free position shot but the Sacred Heart's Grace Reinold regained its three-goal advantage off a pass from Metzler.
• Cassidy Burns and Skylar Simmonds found the back of the net off two unassisted goals, but it wasn't enough as the Bulldogs fell, 12-11.

STATS/GAME NOTES

• Caitlin Bolen led the offense with a hat trick. She also fired six shots and put five on frame. Bolen was two-for-three in free position opportunities.
• Devon Bolen followed with two goals and scooped three groundballs.
• Burns matched Bolen with three points in today's game with one goal and two assists.
• Junior Emily Diaz led with a game-high of nine draw controls, marking a career-best. She also added two shots on goal, two groundballs, and one caused turnover.
• Sophomore Skylar Simmonds led the Bulldogs with three groundballs.
• Giana Kapoosuzian played the full 60 minutes in between the pipes and stopped 10.
• As a team, Bryant controlled the draw circle by grabbing 16 compared to Sacred Heart's nine.
• Sacred Heart outshot Bryant by a slim margin, 34-33, but the Bulldogs put more on target, 24-22.
• The Pioneers snap Bryant's nine-game winning streak in the series history. The Bulldogs continue to hold the all-time series record, 10-4.
• Bryant was five-of-eight on free position shots while Sacred Heart went two-for-seven. 

UP NEXT
Bryant continues its two-game home stretch when Saint Francis U visits Smithfield this Saturday, April 10 for a 1 p.m. meeting.