Women's soccer announces 2017 slate

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Third-year head coach Andy Biggs and the Bryant University women's soccer staff announce their 2017 schedule, featuring nine games on the Bulldogs' home pitch.

"We are excited for the 2017 season," said Biggs. "Our team worked hard again this spring, and as the players have gained more experience, we have continued to raise our level of play in both attack and defense."

The Bulldogs' schedule will feature 17 regular-season games and three preseason exhibition matches, a slate comprised of opponents from five different conferences.

"Our 2017 schedule provides us with the opportunity to continue our development as we seek to prove ourselves among the top teams in our conference," said Biggs. "We will face off against challenging opposition, both in and outside of the region, renew our series with schools like URI and Vermont, and steel ourselves for what we expect will be another competitive year in the NEC."

Bryant's 2017 campaign begins with three exhibition matches, the first two taking place at the Bryant Soccer Complex. The Bulldogs will host New Hampshire (Aug. 6) and Fairfield (Aug. 11) in Smithfield, before facing Siena (Aug. 13) on the road in the last of the preseason games.

The Black and Gold official kickoff regular-season play with a road game against Rhode Island on Friday, Aug. 18 at 7 p.m. Last season, the Rams finished 6-8-5 overall, falling short to Saint Joseph's in the Atlantic 10 Quarterfinals. The in-state match marks the Bulldogs' and Rams' fifth meeting, with the Kingston, R.I.-based school leading the Division I series, 3-1. Bryant won their only match over URI, 3-1, in Smithfield in 2013.

The Bulldogs will face UMass Lowell in their first regular-season home game on Wednesday, Aug. 23 at 3 p.m. The Riverhawks enter the 2017 season having missed the America East postseason, finishing with a 3-5 conference record. UMass Lowell collected a 1-0 win over the Bulldogs last season in Lowell, scoring the lone goal four minutes into the match. Despite their 4-4 home record, the River Hawks won just one game on the road in 2016.  

The Bulldogs will follow with a two-game road stint, traveling to take on Stetson for the first time in program history on Aug. 25, before meeting with Quinnipiac in Hamden, Conn., five days later. The Hatters posted a 5-2 record in the Atlantic Sun Conference to earn a postseason berth, where they moved past North Florida before being dealt a 2-1 heartbreaker to Lipscomb in the league semifinals. The Bobcats put together an impressive 2016 season, making a run to the finals as the No. 4 seed. Ultimately, QU was taken down, 5-2, by Monmouth in the MAAC Championship.

Bryant begins September by hosting Stony Brook on Sunday, Sept. 3 at 1 p.m. In 2016, the Bulldogs dealt the Seawolves a 1-0 double-overtime blow to start the season. Then-freshman Remi Manna (Pleasantville, N.Y.) scored her first-career goal in the 109th minute, chipping the ball over the keepers head from 12 yards out. Then-senior Kaylan Conrad (Avon, Conn.) collected eight saves, earning the first of a program season record seven shutouts. After earning the No. 3 seed in the America East Tournament, Stony Brook's season was ended by then-No. 6 Vermont in penalty kicks in the opening round of the league playoffs.

The Bulldogs follow with a match against the Black Bears in Orono, Maine, on Thursday, Sept. 7 at 4 p.m. Last year, the Black and Gold fell, 2-0, to Maine in Smithfield, giving the Black Bears a 3-2-1 edge over Bryant in the Division I series.

Bryant returns to Smithfield for a three-game home stint, including Binghamton (Sept. 15), St. Bonaventure (Sept. 17) and Vermont (Sept. 22). In 2016, the Bulldog upended the Bearcats, 1-0, on the road, as Manna scored her second-career goal with 16 minutes to play in the contest. In opposite fashion, the Bonnies edged out the Bulldogs, 2-1, with a two-goal effort in the first half last season.

This year's contest between the Bulldogs and Catamounts marks the first meeting since 2013. Redshirt senior Hannah Crofut (East Amherst, N.Y.) is the only Bulldog who has previously faced UVM.

The Bulldogs begin Northeast Conference play, an eight-game schedule, with a road trip to the Keystone State, battling Robert Morris and reigning NEC Champions Saint Francis U. beginning Friday, Sept. 29. Last season, the Colonials, like the Bulldogs, won four conference games, missing the playoffs as they finished in the sixth spot in the conference. The Black and Gold defeated RMU, 2-0, in Smithfield, including then-sophomore Alison Guilmette's (Coventry, R.I.) second goal of the season that gave Bryant the initial lead in the first half.

The Bulldogs will follow with a tough road game against the Red Flash, who captured the 2016 NEC title after holding both Fairleigh Dickinson and Central Connecticut scoreless through the conference postseason. The Red Flash drew Georgetown in the NCAA tournament, falling, 2-0, to the Hoyas.

Bryant faces Mount St. Mary's on Sunday, Oct. 8 at noon and Sacred Heart on Friday, Oct. 13 at 3 p.m. at the Bryant Soccer Complex. The Mount lost seven conference games last season, including a 2-0 deficit to Bryant, as then-junior Haley Reddish (Natick, Mass.) finished with three points on the day.

The Pioneers captured the No. 3 seed in the NEC postseason, going 5-1-2 in league play. SHU's 2016 season was brought to a close after No. 2 Central Connecticut shutout the Pioneers, 3-0, in the NEC Semifinals. Bryant closed out its season with a 1-1 double overtime tie against Sacred Heart.

The Black and Gold head back out on the road, traveling to Fairleigh Dickinson on Sunday, Oct. 15 and LIU Brooklyn on Friday, Oct. 20. FDU took the final spot in the NEC postseason last year, but the Knights' season was ended by Saint Francis U. in the opening round. The Knights regained the Division I series record last season, 4-3-1, and have won the last four meetings against the Bulldogs. The Blackbirds won just one conference game last season, as Bryant moved past LIU, 2-0, in Smithfield, headed by then-senior Kianna Woods' (Stafford Springs, Conn.) two-goal performance.

The Bulldogs close out the regular season with home contests against Central Connecticut on Sunday, Oct. 22 and Wagner on Friday, Oct. 27. CCSU made a strong push in the 2016 NEC postseason as the No. 2 seed, defeating Sacred Heart, 3-0, before being shut out by Saint Francis U., 2-0, in the conference finals. The Blue Devils held Bryant scoreless, 3-0, during last year's regular-season matchup in New Britain. Last season, Bryant defeated Wagner, 3-2, in Staten Island, after then-graduate student Quinn Massaroni (East Greenbush, N.Y.) scored the game-winning goal in the 87th minute.

For the complete 2017 Bryant women's soccer schedule, click here.