Bulldogs fall to #2 Quinnipiac, 5-0, Fri. in MAAC Semis

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Despite a career-high 15 saves from MAAC Co-Goalkeeper of the Year Megan Hancock (Skowhegan, Maine), the Bryant University field hockey team fell to #2 seed Quinnipiac, 5-0, Friday afternoon in the MAAC Tournament Semifinals.

In what was truly a magical season for the Bulldogs, a relentless Bobcat attack proved to be too much as four second-half goals propelled Quinnipiac into the MAAC Championship on Saturday.

In the first meeting between these two teams a week ago, Quinnipiac edged the Bulldogs 1-0 in overtime in Hamden, Conn.  This time, the Bobcats scored just over 10 minutes into the game as Megan Osantisch scored following penalty corner.  Osantisch took the initial pass at the top of the goal box and passed over to Jennalise Taylor who quickly fed the ball back to Osantisch who ripped a shot past Megan Hancock to put the Bobcats up 1-0.

Prior to Osantisch's goal, the Bulldogs had two good scoring opportunities thanks to back-to-back penalty corners as sophomore Mikayla Fitzmaurice (Skowhegan, Maine) ripped off a big shot that was turned away by Bobcat goalie Megan Conaboy on the first corner.

However, the second half was dominated by Quinnipiac as it went on to score a trio of tallies in the first 12 minutes of the period, including a pair of tip-ins by Danielle Allen and Taylor's lone marker of the contest. Jess Rusin topped things off at the 61:11 mark, putting the Bobcats up, 5-0, where it stood until the final buzzer.

Despite the lack of offensive production, the Black and Gold had their chances, logging 18 shots (nine each half), 11 of which were on frame. All-MAAC First Team forward Rosie Bird (Hamilton, New Zealand)  led Bryant with six shots (four on goal), while seniors Olivia Jankins (West Brookfield, Mass.) and Mallory Hancock (Skowhegan, Maine) combined for seven shots. However, Bryant was just unable to sneak one past Quinnipiac keeper Megan Conaboy, who finished the day with nine saves.

This contest closes the books on Bryant field hockey's best season at the Division I level and one of the greatest since the program's inception in 1999. Picked to finish sixth out of seven teams in the preseason coach's poll, the Bulldogs, rattled off a Division I program record 11 wins – including a seven-game win streak along the way - and finished third in the MAAC standings with a 4-2 conference record.  However, the toughness and resilience displayed by this team throughout the year will be its true calling card for years to come.

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