Bulldogs host Pioneers on Senior Day and regular-season finale, Sunday at 1 p.m.

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Bryant University women's lacrosse team wraps up the regular season with aspirations of hosting next week's Northeast Conference Tournament when it hosts Sacred Heart at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday.

The Bulldogs (11-4. 5-1 NEC) clinched a conference tournament berth with their 13-7 win over LIU Brooklyn on Friday and are now tied for first with Wagner, though the Black and Gold own the tiebreaker. The third-place Pioneers (8-6, 4-2) still have an outside shot of hosting the conference tournament, as they were one of three teams to clinch a spot following their third-straight win which was a 13-10 triumph over Central Connecticut State University on Friday.

Sunday's regular-season finale marks the eighth meeting of the series, with this matchup's hosts holding a 4-3 edge and a three-game win streak. The Bulldogs defeated the Pioneers by a score of 17-9 in the 2013 and 2014 matchup, but squeaked by in last season's encounter, winning 11-10.  

The two Bulldog seniors who have led the charge against the Pioneers in the past are attacks Lauren Descalzo (Hauppauge, N.Y.) and Nicole Britton (Monmouth Beach, N.J.). Descalzo has netted 11 goals to go with one assists in her three matchups, as Britton has registered two goals and two assists while snaring five draw controls in two contests.

But of late for Bryant, it has been the elevated play of several players pacing the offense. Britton netted three scores and handed out one helper in the win over the Blackbirds on Friday, but the Bulldogs were also blessed with hat tricks from freshman mid Jess DeMeo (Mount Sinai, N.Y.) and sophomore attack Catlin Brown (San Diego, Calif.). Junior mid Shannon Sullivan (Farmingdale, N.Y.) continued her hot streak, netted two goals and tallying an assist in Friday's triumph. DeMeo now has 30 goals on the year and has games with at least three scores in five of the last seven games. Sullivan has caged two in three-straight games and has produced multi-point outings in six-straight.

The Bulldogs and their league-leading assists per game (4.86) and winning percentage will be tested against a Pioneer defense allowing 9.62 goals per game, the third-fewest in the NEC. Sophomore netminder Paige Hammick has appeared in 13 games this season with 12 starts and she has the third-best goals-against average in the conference (9.78). Hammick and the defenders will have their hands full against a Bryant offense that has grown accustomed to tremendous balance over the last month. She has been aided by the play of do-all midifielder, Caitlin Delaney. The third-year mid leads the NEC and sits fourth nationally with 2.92 caused turnovers per game.

The Sacred Heart offense averages 10.77 goals per game to sit fourth in the league, and Delaney has also carried the offense, as well as the defense. She leads the team and sits inside the top-five in the conference in points (51), assists (17) and goals (34), while leading the nation with 4.00 ground balls per game. Delaney has been a force against Bryant in the past, totaling five goals, two assists, 10 draws and seven ground balls in two meetings.

Delaney has gotten help from an offensive standpoint, as two additional Pioneers have over 30 points and three more have at least 20. Junior attack Alyssa Pearce has 39 points (24g, 15a), senior mid Jesslyn Joseph has 36 points (29g, 7a) and sophomore attack Averi Farhat has 23 points (21g, 2a). The trio have all been key contributors offensively against the Bulldogs in the past. Joseph has seven goals in three games including five last season, Pearce netted a goal and picked up an assist two years ago, and Farhat registered a pair of goals and helpers in her first meeting with the Black and Gold in 2015.

Sunday's Senior Day can be seen live on NECFrontRow.com and the action can be followed along via livestats on BryantBulldogs.com. Fans in attendance can also stick around for the 2015 Northeast Conference Championship team's ring ceremony, expected to take place at the conclusion of the game.