Bulldogs open October on the road

MEN'S SOCCER HITS THE ROAD FOR GAMES VS. MOUNT ST. MARY'S AND MONMOUTH

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Bryant University men's soccer team will hit the road for a pair of matches over the weekend as they head to Mount St. Mary's on Friday and Monmouth on Sunday.

The Bulldogs (3-3-1, 1-1) enter weekend play after splitting their first two Northeast Conference matches this past week. The Bulldogs fell to Saint Francis (PA), 1-0, in a hard fought contest Friday afternoon before picking up their first conference win of 2012 Sunday against Robert Morris.

On Sunday, the Colonials struck first with a score in the 11th minute. Carl Reid received a pass from Miro Cabrilo, firing a shot into the back of the net from just outside the of the box.

The Bulldogs responded just over four minutes later when senior Eddie Curry (Massapequa, N.Y.) snuck a shot through a crowd of defenders off a Bryant free kick to register his first goal of the season.

The Black and Gold scored again in the 24th minute when senior Ryan Stone (Wakefield, R.I.) headed in a marker off a Matt Guerriero (Pickering, Ont.) corner kick, finessing a shot past Robert Morris keeper Toba Bolaji.

Bryant dominated play throughout the entire match, outshooting the visitors, 25-9. Freshman keeper Chris Knaub (Yarmouth, Maine) continued his impressive rookie campaign, making three saves in the winning effort.

The Bulldogs will head to Emmittsville, Md., Friday afternoon for a 4 p.m. showdown with the Mountaineers. Mount St. Mary's enters Friday with a 2-7 overall mark, 0-2 in the NEC, most recently, falling to LIU Brooklyn by a score of 1-0. Sophomore Zoncher Dennis leads his squad with two goals on the season, while senior goalkeeper Peter Steve has recorded every minute in net for the Mountaineers.

Bryant's road trip continues with a visit to West Long Branch, N.J., for a Sunday matchup with NEC powerhouse Monmouth. The Hawks (5-3-1 overall) currently sit at 0-1 in the conference after coming off a successful 2011 campaign which featured an NCAA Tournament appearance.

Monmouth is led by a pair of juniors, Francois Navarro and Edney Derrick, who have accumulated nine and seven points respectively. Senior Alex Blackburn has logged every minute in net for the Hawks, allowing only seven goals and registering four shutouts.

The Bulldogs finished September with a 3-1-1 record, already surpassing last season's win total. With two tough opponents on the horizon, the Black and Gold will look to avenge 2011 losses over the weekend with wins on the road against the Mountaineers and Hawks.

For links to streaming video and live stats of the weekend action and all the latest on Bryant University men's soccer, visit BryantBulldogs.com.