Men's soccer hits the road

BULLDOGS HEAD TO SACRED HEART FRIDAY (6 PM) AND ST. FRANCIS (NY) (1 PM) ON SUNDAY

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Bryant University men's soccer team hits the road for a pair of Northeast Conference games over the weekend, heading to Sacred Heart on Friday (6 p.m.) and St. Francis (N.Y.) on Sunday (1 p.m.).

The Bulldogs (4-6-1) currently sit at 2-4 in the NEC with only three conference games remaining on their 2012 schedule. Last time out, Bryant played Quinnipiac even through 83 minutes, but fell short, allowing two late goals to fall to the Bobcats, 2-0. Sacred Heart (6-6, 2-3 NEC) and St. Francis (N.Y.) (5-7-1, 2-3 NEC) are currently tied with the Bulldogs for sixth place in the NEC standings.

On Sunday, after playing even for nearly the entire match, Quinnipiac's William Daniels broke the scoreless tie in the 84th minute to grant the visitors a 1-0 advantage. Daniels received a pass across the box from Sam Nicol to beat Bryant keeper Chris Knaub (Yarmouth, Maine) in what turned out to be the game-winning goal.

The Bobcats tacked on an additional score in the final 30 seconds of play when Justin Ward sprung a breakaway, catching Knaub out of position as the Bulldogs were up in the Quinnipiac-third trying to equalize.

Despite the final score in favor of the visitors, the Black and Gold had multiple scoring attempts throughout the match thwarted by the Bobcat defense. Keeper Borja Angoitia stopped eight Bulldog shots, while Knaub recorded four saves.

The Bulldogs best chance came partway through the second half when freshman Brett Larocque (Ottawa, Ont.) delivered a pass to teammate Connor Norat (Wilmington, Del.) into the box. Norat headed the ball toward the goal, where Angoitia was just able to tip the shot away.

Sacred Heart enters Friday's action are defeating LIU Brooklyn, 2-1, on Sunday. The Pioneers are led by senior Marcello Castro who has tallied 11 points (5 g, 1 a) through 11 matches on the season. Freshman Tucker Hackett and Daniel Nicinski handle the netminding duties, combining for a 1.09 goals against average and three shutouts. Last season, the Pioneers defeated the Bulldogs on Senior Day in Smithfield, 2-1.

St. Francis (N.Y.) comes into the weekend after falling to Central Connecticut St., 3-2, on Friday, Oct. 12. The Terriers are led by sophomore Kevin Correa who has amassed 20 points on 9 goals and 2 assists. Correa leads the NEC in points and goals entering weekend action. Senior Adam Maabdi and junior Gabriel Bagot have also contributed 14 and 11 points, respectively. Senior Tyler Clarhaut handles the goalkeeper responsibilities for the Terriers, posting a 1.49 goals against average and a .738 save percentage in nine starts. Last season St. Francis (N.Y.) shutout the Bulldogs at home, earning a 2-0 victory.

Bryant will be out for revenge over the weekend as they look to make a late-season playoff push with only three conference matches remaining.

For links to streaming video and all the latest news on Bryant University men's soccer, visit BryantBulldogs.com.