Bryant wins fourth straight, 10-4, at SFU

VENDEL, BULLDOGS TOP SAINT FRANCIS FOR FOURTH-STRAIGHT VICTORY, 10-4, SUNDAY

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Junior Lisa Vendel (Sandy Hook, Conn.) scored her third hat trick of the week and fifth of the season to lead the Bryant University women's lacrosse team its fourth-straight win, a 10-4 victory over Northeast Conference opponent Saint Francis U. on the road Sunday afternoon.

The Bulldogs (5-3, 2-0 NEC) saw six different goal scorers and got a game-best four points from junior Haley Bloom (Hauppauge, N.Y.) off a goal and three assists, while the Red Flash (3-6, 0-2) received three of their four tallies from attacker Rebecca Meyer.

The Black and Gold started the game on a 4-0 run with goals from rookie Morgan LaBarbera (New Fairfield, Conn.), Vendel, freshman Lauren Descalzo (Hauppauge, N.Y.) and junior Katherine Keckeisen (Danbury, Conn.) – with the final two assisted by Bloom – and while SFU's Olivia Pittman put the hosts on the board at the 3:21 mark of the first half, Bloom would score what turned out to be the game-winning goal with 64 ticks left in the opening frame.

Vendel tacked on goals to end the first period (11 seconds left) and open the second (2:18 in), both unassisted, to complete her hat trick and put Bryant on top, 7-1, and Keckeisen netted her second of the afternoon with 23:40 on the clock for a seven-goal visitor advantage.

Meyer scored her first of the day 38 seconds later to cut into Bryant's lead, 8-2, and Meyer would answer subsequent tallies from junior Bulldog Kimberley Sniffen (Redding, Conn.) and LaBarbera in the final 10 minutes, but it wouldn't be enough to keep the Black and Gold from their fourth win in the last 12 days.

Bryant outshot Saint Francis, 33-15, including a 22-5 margin in the opening half, and the Bulldogs won the ground ball game, 28-17, paced by a game-high five from Vendel, Emily Bogan (Swansea, Mass.) and Shannon Burns (Mount Sinai, N.Y.).

The Red Flash dominated on the draw, winning 13 to Bryant's four, but struggled in the clearing game, going just 6-of-11 to the Bulldogs' 11-for-12 mark.

The Bulldogs return home for their next contest and kick off a three-game home stand Thursday night against Quinnipiac (7 p.m.).