Brown, Santeramo post big days but Bulldogs fall to UDel, 9-4, Thursday

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Junior attack Catlin Brown (San Diego, Calif.) notched her second hat trick of the season but was responsible for almost all of the Bulldogs' scoring, as the Bryant University women's lacrosse team fell to the University of Delaware, 9-4, Thursday night at Bryn Athyn College (Pa.).

Senior midfielder Ali Cardinal (Schenectady, N.Y.) was the only other Bulldog (3-3) to get on the board, as the Blue Hens (4-3) never trailed in the contest. Junior goalie Samantha Santeramo (Wantagh, N.Y.) reset her career high for the second time in as many games, turning away 19 despite the loss, including 13 in the first half alone.

Delaware opening the contest with four goals in the first 15 minutes of play before Brown got her first unassisted score with 14:14 to go in the first. But the Blue Hens' Caroline Farley and Jamie Schwartz would respond with back-to-back goals to extend the hosts' lead to 6-1 entering the last 10 minutes before the halftime break.

Brown doubled the Bulldogs' goal total with 9:27 on the clock, but Kirsten Hale would send Delaware into the intermission with a 7-2 advantage.

Cardinal capitalized on a Delaware yellow card in the opening minutes of the second, scoring a man-up goal on a free position shot with 22:53 left in the contest to cut the Blue Hens' lead to 7-3, and the teams would play evenly from there to keep that margin steady until the game's final minutes.

Brown wrapped up her hat trick performance with 8:08 on the clock with a free position goal of her own, but it would be the final Bulldog score, as Maggie McCarthy and Christine Long tacked on the final two UDel tallies in the final seven minutes.

Schwartz finished the game with three goals for the home side, while Hale added two as the pair paced six Delaware scorers.

The Blue Hens outshot the Black and Gold, 39-16, including a 25-6 margin in the first frame alone. Delware won the battles on the draw (9-5) and on ground balls (20-12), and failed just a single clear (20-21) to Bryant's five (18-23). The Bulldogs turned the ball over 20 times to Delaware's 10.

Santeramo's 19 saves marks the third most in a single game in program history. Taylor Carpentier recorded seven saves in the win for the Blue Hens.

The Bulldogs return to action Wednesday, March 22 when they host Siena College in Smithfield at 7 p.m.