Women's soccer drops close-one at LIU, 3-2

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – A pair of first half scores from LIU Brooklyn were too much for the Bryant University women's soccer team to overcome as the Bulldogs fall to the Blackbirds, 3-2, Sunday afternoon in Brooklyn, N.Y.

With the loss, Bryant falls to 5-12-1 overall, 1-5-1 in the Northeast Conference, while LIU ups its record in the league to 4-3.

The hosts got things going in the 26th minute when Jen Spicer headed in her first tally of the year off assists from Sydney Ciufo and Shino Kunisawa. LIU extended its advantage just over seven minutes later when Kunisawa drilled a free kick into the top right corner of the net from 20 yards out.

Out of the break, the Bulldogs quickly responded when Julie Vajda (Midland Park, N.J.) beat Blackbird keeper Jessica Sexton for her second-straight match with a score, cutting the lead to just one. However, LIU Brooklyn answered right back in the 61st minute when Jenn Peters put home her sixth marker of the year from 18 yards out off a helper from Madison Gomez.

Bryant added another score at the 65:02 mark when senior Ari Goldberg (East Bridgewater, Mass.) received a pass from freshman Melaina Aglieco (Rocky Hill, Conn.) and chipped a beautiful ball over the head to Sexton to cut the lead back to just one. But the Bulldogs could not find the equalizer in the final 25 minutes of play.

The Bulldogs fifth consecutive loss, and third-straight defeat by a single goal, finally wraps up the month of October, a stretch that Bryant is happy to put behind them. The Black and Gold will close out the regular season on Friday when they welcome Central Connecticut St. to Smithfield.

For all the latest news on the Bryant University women's soccer team, visit BryantBulldogs.com.