Grange's Two Goals Give Bryant the Big Win and Home Field Tuesday
Grange's Two Goals Gives Bryant #4 Seed and Home Game
Smithfield, R.I. - Playing in her last regular season home game, senior captain Casey Grange (Methuen, Mass.) scored two goals, giving the Bryant Women's Soccer team the 2-1 victory over Merrimack Friday night at a very windy Bryant Turf Complex.
With the win, the Bulldogs earn the fourth seed in the Northeast-10 Tournament and will host fifth-seeded Merrimack Tuesday (2 p.m.) at Bulldog Stadium in the quarterfinals.
The Bulldogs trailed 1-0 early, but Grange found the back of the net with just five seconds to play in the first half. Bryant's all-time leader in career goals and goals in a season found the rebound off a Daisy Martinez (Eliot, ME.) shot and nailed it past Warrior goaltender Caitlin Stephan.
Grange gave her team the lead in the 52nd minute, finding a loose ball in the box and burying it for her 18th of the season. Tricia Spada (Dedham, Mass.) started the play chipping it into the box on a corner kick. Megan Reising (Spencerport, N.Y.), Bryant's other senior, headed the ball into the box where Diane Pascale (Plymouth, Mass.) kicked it on goal. Grange then got the rebound and gave the Bulldogs the lead.
Sophomore Jessica Neales (Swansea, Mass.) stopped four shots to pick up the win in goal. Her best save came in the 70th minute when she lunged to her right and made a sprawling save on Amy Pelletier to preserve the lead.
With the win, the Bulldogs finish the regular season 13-6-1 (9-4-1 NE-10) and are riding a five-game winning streak heading into the Northeast-10 Tournament. They leapfrogged the Warriors to cease home-field with this win.
Before the game, Grange and Reising were honored as part of a senior night. They are the winningest class in school history (.689 winning percentage).