Early goals down Bulldogs against Maine

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Bryant University women's soccer team was not able to overcome a Maine flurry of goals early in the first half and fell to the Black Bears on Sunday afternoon. They finish their homestand 2-2 and will now hit the road for six consecutive matches.

Game Information

Maine 4, Bryant 2

Records: Maine 1-2-1, Bryant 2-2-0

Location: Bulldog Soccer Field | Smithfield, R.I.

Coach Biggs' Comments

"While our effort was good again today, we were a bit inconsistent with our execution. We'll keep working to build more consistency in our play, so we can maintain our best levels of play for longer periods of time."

Key Moment

Two goals in four minutes for the Black Bears proved to be enough, as Birte Speck and Julia Mahoney each scored from the same spot just outside the bottom right corner of the box. Speck went high and Mahoney went low and both were able to find the back of the net.

Scoring Summary

• 1^st minute – Maine 1, Bryant 0 – The Black Bears were on the board just 19 seconds into the match as a long ball was played over sophomore Meghan Dalton (West Hartford, Conn.) and off the crossbar. It came out to Mahoney, who flicked it to Emilie Andersen and she was able to put the ball in the net.
• 27^th minute – Bryant 1, Maine 1 – Freshman Lexi Kraemer (Forest Hill, Md.) equalized on a great strike. Nugent played it to Kraemer with a defender on her back. The freshman took a touch to her right and then fired right over the Maine keeper to knot things up.
• 29^th minute – Maine 2, Bryant 1 –Speck made sure the tie would not last, and just two minutes later fired into the top left corner behind Dalton to give Maine the lead they would not relinquish.
• 33^rd minute – Maine 3, Bryant 1 – Again from outside the box, Mahoney took a touch to her right and fired a shot into the bottom corner past Dalton, who had traffic in front, to double the Black Bear lead.
• 66^th minute – Maine 3, Bryant 2 – The Bulldogs were able to apply a lot of good pressure in the second half and it resulted in sophomore Katie Cronin (Feeding Hills, Mass.) heading home her first goal of the year off a corner kick from classmate Becca Michaud (Westport, Mass.).
• 71^st minute – Maine 4, Bryant 2 – Maine's fourth and final goal came with a little fortune, as Dalton came out to claim a corner kick but was not able to handle and it fell right to the feet of Mahoney, who was able to roll it in past the keeper.

Stats/Notes

• Nugent's assist is the first point of her career coming in her 45^th appearance.
• Michaud recorded her first assist of 2018 and the third of her career.
• Junior Remi Manna (Pleasantville, N.Y.) finished the day with three shots and two on frame. Cronin added a pair of shots, including her one that found the back of the net.
• Maine controlled the shot margin, finishing with a 14-10 advantage. The Bulldogs outshot the Black Bears 6-3 in the second half.
• Seven different Bulldogs put a shot on frame, with eight coming from the team as a whole.

Up Next

Bryant hits the road for the first time in 2018, trekking up to Worcester, Mass. for a Thursday date with Holy Cross at 7 p.m.