Twenty-goal outburst sends Bryant to NEC tournament

LORETTO, Pa. – Senior Jess DeMeo (Mount Sinai, N.Y.) and junior Caitlin Breglia (Long Beach, N.Y.) each put up five-goal performances and combined for five assists to lead the Bryant University women's lacrosse team into the Northeast Conference tournament with a 20-15 victory at Saint Francis U Sunday afternoon.

Breglia collected five goals and three assists, while DeMeo tallied five and two to become the first 200-goal scorer in program history. Bryant scored seven goals in the final 9:33 of the contest after the game was knotted at 13.

GAME INFORMATION
Bryant 20, Saint Francis U 15
Records: Bryant (8-8, 4-3 NEC), Saint Francis U (5-10, 2-5 NEC)
Location: DeGol Field (Loretto, Pa.)

COACH ROCHE'S COMMENTS
"Saint Francis played us hard until the very end and I'm proud of our players for battling for a full 60 minutes. Our veteran players led the charge on the offensive side and our rookies stepped up in crucial moments. We will use this as momentum moving into the NEC tournament and are excited for the next step."

KEY MOMENTS

• Bryant trailed 7-3 with 10 minutes remaining in the first half, but responded by scoring the next six goals, pulling even at halftime and scoring the first two goals out of the break to go ahead 9-7.
• The teams were tied at 13 with 10 minutes left in the contest before Bryant scored the next three goals, with Breglia scoring on two and assisting on the other. The Bulldogs would lead by at least two the rest of the way.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Bryant struck first 37 seconds into the game on a goal from DeMeo.
• The Red Flash scored the next three and had the benefit of a man-up on the ensuing possession, but senior Lauren Britton (Monmouth Beach, N.J.) scored with the Bulldogs serving a green card to bring Bryant back within 3-2 with 24:12 left in the half.
• SFU scored three more before the first score of the day from sophomore Caitlin Bolen (Queensbury, N.Y.) cut the deficit to 6-3.
• The Red Flash led 7-3 when junior Chachie Smigliani (Hanover, Mass.) started a six-goal run on a free-position shot with 9:07 left until the half.
• DeMeo, Breglia and Caitlin Bolen scored in a span of just over five minutes to bring Bryant even at seven with 2:16 to go before halftime.
• Bryant retook the lead with goals from Britton and Breglia to move in front 9-7 in the opening minutes of the second half.
• The Red Flash answered with the next three to take their final lead of the afternoon at 10-9 with 19:48 to go.
• DeMeo scored twice in 63 seconds to help Bryant retake the lead at 11-10.
• Saint Francis would tie the game three more times, answering DeMeo's goal and subsequent tallies by Breglia and Caitlin Bolen, bringing the game to a 13-13 deadlock with 10 minutes to go.
• Breglia scored twice and assisted on a DeMeo goal to give Bryant its largest lead so far on the day at 16-13 with 7:07 remaining.
• Goals from freshman Emily Diaz (Selden, N.Y.) and junior Katie Clark (New Fairfield, Conn.) twice pushed the lead back to three and Bryant would score twice in the final minute with Diaz adding another and sophomore Shea Farrell (Westwood, Mass.) recording her first career goal in the closing seconds.

STATS

• DeMeo tallied five goals to move to 203 for her collegiate career. Her two assists were a season-high.
• Breglia's eight points are the most by a Bulldog this season.
• Caitlin Bolen scored three goals and added two assists to match her career-highs in both categories. The sophomore's five points are a career-best.
• Britton added six draw controls to her two-goal day.
• Bryant caused 13 turnovers, matching a season-best. DeMeo, Clark and sophomores Jamie Fischer (Port Jefferson Station, N.Y.) and Devon Bolen (Queensbury, N.Y.) recorded two each.
• Bryant outshot Saint Francis, 33-28.
• The Red Flash held a 19-17 advantage on draw controls.
• Bryant was 21-for-23 (91.3%) on the clear.

GAME NOTES

• Bryant improves to 11-0 all-time against Saint Francis U.
• Senior Meredith James (Essex Fells, N.J.) collected four draw controls to match Nicole Britton for second in program history with 171.
• Breglia jumped Haley Bloom and Delia Glover to move to fourth in program history in career points with 192. The junior from Long Island also climbed into the top 10 in Bryant's history in goals with 119, passing Lauren Sheridan.
• Breglia's eight-point performance is the first by a Bulldog since Catlin Brown recorded eight in last year's win over Central Connecticut.
• Britton pulled within two points of 100 for her career.
• Bryant has qualified for the Northeast Conference tournament in all seven seasons in which it has been eligible.

UP NEXT
Bryant faces top-seeded Mount St. Mary's in the NEC Semifinals Thursday in Emmitsburg, Maryland. The game time has yet to be announced and will be streamed on NEC Front Row. 

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