Bulldogs set new Division I scoring record in victory over CCSU

NEW BRITAIN, CONN. – In Division I-record fashion, the Bryant University women's lacrosse team's offense exploded for 22 goals in their Northeast Conference opener, cruising past Central Connecticut on Friday night. 

GAME INFORMATION

Bryant 22, Central Connecticut 3

Records: Bryant 6-4 (1-0 NEC), Central Connecticut 1-9 (0-1 NEC)

Location: Arute Field – New Britain, Conn.

COACH BATCHELLER'S COMMENTS

"As I said after the game to the team, today every single person on our team played at their personal best. That is always the best thing to see as a coach at this point in the year because it shows the confidence in ourselves, our commitment to individual growth and our progression. CCSU was a gritty team and started out the game really aggressively. Our team stayed the course and stuck to the game plan, chipping away all night to get a victory. All in all, lacrosse is a game meant to be fun and tonight our team had a blast playin ghte game we love in our NEC opener. It doesn't get much better than that. We are excited to get back to work this week preparing for our doubleheader next weekend."

KEY MOMENT

After Kylie Sullivan started the scoring for Central, Bryant rattled off four consecutive goals, two from sophomore Caitlin Breglia (Long Beach, N.Y.) and one from junior Jess DeMeo (Mount Sinai, N.Y.) and redshirt-sophomore Melissa Wamp (Florham Park, N.J.)

HOW IT HAPPENED

• After Bryant's 4-1 start, Morgan Sinton's 14^th of the season cut the lead down to 4-2 for the Bulldogs.
• Senior Catlin Brown (San Diego, Calif.) played a part in Bryant's next five goals, with three of her own and passing off two assists.
• Bryant's lead ballooned to 11-2 before the Blue Devils would score their final goal of the game, coming at the 8:34 mark of the second half.
• The Black and Gold scored the game's final 11 goals, coming from eight different sources, including the first of the season for sophomore Maggie Pressler (Smithfield, R.I.)

STATS

• The Bulldogs scored their 22 goals on 31 shots, outshooting Central Connecticut 31-12.
• The Black and Gold collected 16 of the game's 23 ground balls.
• Led by seven by junior Meredith James (Essex Falls, N.J.), Bryant won the draw control battle 15-13.
• Brown paced the Bulldogs with three ground balls, to go along with her eight-point outing.
• Senior Laura Fullam (Massapequa, N.Y.) started the Bulldogs defense on the right foot with two early caused turnovers.
• DeMeo (three goals and an assist) and Breglia (three goals) also contributed hat tricks for Bryant.
• Freshmen Caitlin Bolen (Queensbury, N.Y.) and Devon Bolen (Queensbury, N.Y.) each tallied two assists for the Bulldogs. For Devon, they were her first-career points.
• Redshirt-senior Emily Columbus (East Northport, N.Y.) recorded her first hat trick of 2018.

NOTES

• Brown recorded seven of her eight points in the first half of Friday's game, setting a new career-high. Her previous was six, last recorded against Holy Cross last season.
• The California native's five goals and three assists also tied career marks.
• Sophomore Kelly Jacobsen (Northport, N.Y.) started her first career game for the Black and Gold.
• Bryant has now won seven straight games against the Blue Devils.
• The Bulldogs are now 6-0 when outshooting their opponent.
• Bryant won their 11^th consecutive NEC regular season game and their 19^th consecutive conference road bout.
• Pressler scored her first goal since March 4 of last season when she scored against Vermont.
• After not scoring 20 since 2014, Bryant has scored 42 goals combined in their last two games.

UP NEXT

Bryant takes on another Connecticut rival when they open the home portion of their Northeast Conference schedule on Friday, battling Sacred Heart at 4 p.m. at the Bryant Track and Turf.

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