Bulldogs play pair of Ivy opponents over weekend

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Bryant University field hockey team hits the road this weekend in search of its first victory of the young 2014 season, making trips to Harvard on Friday (6 p.m.) and Brown on Saturday (12 p.m.).

The Bulldogs opened the year with a pair of tough road games, dropping decisions at Colgate and Albany this past weekend. On Friday vs. Colgate, the Black and Gold cut a 2-0 deficit in half with less than five minutes left when Rosie Bird (Hamilton, New Zealand) found Mikayla Fitzmaurice (Skowhegan, Maine) for the juniors first-career marker, however it was not enough as Bryant fell 2-1.

On Sunday, the Bulldogs battled for a full 70 minutes vs. a very tough Albany team, holding the Great Danes to a single goal for the first 62 minutes of play. Albany slipped in a pair of markers late for the 3-0 win but, senior goalkeeper Megan Hancock (Skowhegan, Maine) and Bryant backline continued their strong play through the first two games.

Continuing their early road swing, the Black and Gold will face off with Harvard in Camrbidge on Friday evening (6 p.m.) for the Crimson's season opener. Last season, Harvard finished 8-9 overall, 2-5 in the Ivy League. Sophomore Marissa Balleza returns for her second season at Harvard after leading her team in scoring in 2013 with 28 points on 12 goals and four assists. Last season, Bryant picked up a 2-1 win in Cambridge.

Saturday vs. Bryant also marks the season opener for Brown, when the Bulldogs visit Providence for a 12 p.m. cross-state showdown. The Bears finished 6-11 overall last season, posting a 1-6 mark against Ivy League opponents. Second Team All-Ivy forward Meghan O'Donnell returns for her senior season after leading Brown with 27 points on 12 goals and three assists last year, while classmate Shannon McSweeney, who started all 17 games in net for Brown last season, also returns for her senior season. Last September, the Bulldogs squeaked out a 4-3 victory thanks to a hat trick from Bird, including the game-winner with 30 seconds remaining in regulation.

Bryant will look to pick up its first win of the season over the weekend before returning to Smithfield for back-to-back home games the following week.

For links to live stats and streaming video of the weekend action and all the latest news on the Bryant University field hockey team, visit BryantBulldogs.com.