Vendel leads Bryant to fourth-straight win

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Freshman Lisa Vendel (Sandy Hook, Conn.) netted a career-high four goals while classmate Katherine Keckeisen (Danbury, Conn.) chipped in her fifth hat trick of the year to pace the Bryant University women's lacrosse team to a 14-11 victory over Northeast Conference rival Wagner College Thursday afternoon on the road.

Vendel broke a 6-6 tie with her third tally of the game with 16:54 left to play in the second half in the midst of a seven goal Bryant (7-8, 6-2 NEC) run spanning 9:35 as the Bulldogs opened up an 11-6 lead over the host Seahawks (3-12, 2-6). Despite back-to-back Carolyn Clark scores that cut Wagner's deficit to three, Vendel, Keckeisen and junior Mary Green (Merrick, N.Y.) would each find the net less than 90 seconds apart to pad Bryant's lead once more for a 14-8 cushion with just 6:33 remaining on the clock.

And while the home side would score three unanswered tallies before the final whistle, the Bulldogs would hold on for their fourth-straight win, 14-8, to move to 6-2 in conference play.

After a tightly played first half, though, the teams were in a dead heat at the break, entering halftime in a 4-4 deadlock after trading leads early in the period. Consecutive goals from Vendel and fellow rookie Kimberley Sniffen (Redding, Conn.) gave Bryant a 2-1 edge less than five minutes in, and back-to-back Lauren Sheridan (Bethpage, N.Y.) scores would then break a 2-2 tie to put the visitors back on top, 4-2, with 20 minutes still to play in the half. But Wagner's Sam Morin would get the only remaining scores in the opening session despite the quick start for a 4-4 score at the intermission.

Clark and Melanie Garces gave the Seahawks a 6-4 advantage in the first few minutes of the second frame, but the lead wouldn't last long as the Bulldogs broke away thanks to the seven-goal run, with goals from Vendel, Keckeisen, Sniffen, Green and rookie Lindsay Gilfeather (Pleasantville, N.Y.) highlighting the stretch.

Keckeisen led the Black and Gold with five points in the affair, adding a pair of assists to her trio of tallies, while Clark paced the game with six points off four goals and two helpers for the hosts. Wagner's Lauren Petrik dished out a game-best five assists on the day.

In goal, junior captain Lauren Filippone (West Babylon, N.Y.) made seven stops for the win while her counterpart, Morgan Roach, made 12 saves despite the loss. Sophomore defender Nicole Rettinger (Dix Hills, N.Y.) caused a game-high four Wagner turnovers with four ground balls, while Filippone picked up a team-best five ground balls in the contest.

On the day, Bryant outshot its host, 34-23, and won the draw controls by a 17-10 margin. Rookie Olivia McCarthy (Sea Girt, N.J.) won a game-best six while Green pulled in five for the Bulldogs.

Bryant returns to the field for its 2011 season finale Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m., when the Bulldogs play Long Island University on the road.