Field hockey earns 2-0 win

TWO SECOND HALF GOALS PROPEL THE BULLDOGS BACK INTO THE WIN COLUMN

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Paced by goals from junior Olivia Jankins (West Brookfield, Mass.) and sophomore Abigail Armstrong (Mahopac, N.Y.) and eight saves from junior goalie Megan Hancock (Skowhegan, Maine), the Bryant University field hockey team opened its home schedule with a 2-0 victory over Brown on Friday night at the Bryant University Turf Complex.

The Bulldogs (2-5) snapped a five-game losing streak with the victory and have now defeated the Bears (2-2) each of the last two seasons. The team's played a scoreless first half before the Black and Gold put the game away with a pair of tallies just over three minutes apart in the second half.

Bryant was outshot 7-4 in the first half but came out determined to tip the field in its favor in the second frame. They accomplished that feat, earning five penalty corners in the first 15 minutes of the half. The Bulldogs finally broke through on the fifth, their 11^th of the game at the 50:22 mark. Kayleigh Ballantyne (Gorham, Maine) slid the penalty corner to Jankins and she drove it through a crowd and inside the near post to give the Bulldogs the 1-0 lead.

The Black and Gold didn't wait long to add to their advantage, scoring their second goal 3:27 later. After a penalty corner, Mallory Hancock (Skowhegan, Maine) found the ball in a scramble in the circle and fired a pass to the back door that Armstrong deftly redirected home for her first marker of the season.

Megan Hancock did the rest for the Bulldogs as she posted her first shutout of the season with eight saves. She was at her best in the first half, keeping the Bears off the scoreboard with seven stops. Hancock made a flurry of stops midway through the first half, including a two-pad stack on a Haley Alvarez shot. Ten minutes later, Hancock was called on again and this time stopped three shots in a 15-second span to keep the game scoreless.

Her best stop, however, came in the second half with the game still in the balance. Just five minutes into the half, Meghan O'Donnell was sprung for a breakaway but Hancock raced out of her cage and kicked away O'Donnell's shot to keep it scoreless. Bryant scored just over 10 minutes later to take the lead.

Bryant's two goals on Friday marked the first time the team had scored multiple goals in a game since its season-opener against Colgate. Brittany Vasconcelos (Tiverton, R.I.) led the team with four shots and Ballantyne's assist gives her a team-high four on the season.

The Bulldogs will now head back on the road for four games beginning with a trip to Hanover, N.H., to face Dartmouth on Wednesday, Sept. 19.

For all the latest information on Bryant University field hockey, visit BryantBulldogs.com.