#3 Bulldogs face #2 Colonials in first-ever NEC postseason match Friday at 2 p.m.

GAME NOTES

SMTIHFIELD, R.I. – The Bryant University women's soccer team will open Northeast Conference Tournament action vs. No. 2 Robert Morris Friday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. in Teaneck, N.J.

Bryant's 2015 Northeast Conference Tournament berth marks the program's first-ever Division I trip to the postseason, after posting the team's second winning conference record, with the first coming in 2012. The 2012 season saw a heartbreaking one-point differential between making and missing the tournament. The Bulldogs recorded 18 points that season (6-4-0 NEC), falling just shy of Sacred Heart's 19 points (6-3-1 NEC).

Friday night will mark the eighth meeting between the Bulldogs and the Colonials, with the Black and Gold taking a commanding 5-0-2 lead in the all-time series, including a 1-0 overtime victory this season. In recent years, the two teams have needed extra time to decide the outcome of the game, with two of the last three seasons' matches resulting in draws.

In this year's regular-season game, the Colonials outshot the Bulldogs 18-7 and placed 7 on frame to Bryant's 4, but the visitng Black and Gold found the only score, when freshman midfielder Alison Guilmette (Coventry, R.I.) chipped one into the back of the net from the right side in the 98th minute.

The shutout marks the third clean slate of the season for junior goalkeeper Kaylan Conrad (Avon, Conn.) and she now totals six blank sheets in 12 starts.

Entering this year's Northeast Conference Tournament as the second seed, the Colonials have lost just three conference matches and finished the regular season at 9-10 overall. The Bulldogs handed the Colonials their first league defeat on Oct. 11, when the Black and Gold won, 1-0, in overtime in Moon Township, Pa. Central Connecticut handed Robert Morris their second conference loss, beating them, 2-0, in New Britain, Conn. Top-ranked Fairleigh Dickinson served the Colonials their final regular-season league loss, 2-1, on Nov. 1.

After opening the year 0-4, Robert Morris found its first win against non-league foe Youngstown State, winning 1-0, on the road. The Colonials have been able to string together a two-game win streak on four different occasions, most recently back-to-back victories over LIU Brooklyn (4-2) and Mount St. Mary's (3-0). One category the Colonials are not short of is goal scoring, recording 31 scores in 19 games and averaging 1.63 goals per game.

Leading the attack for Robert Morris has been red-shirt senior forward Cassie Raymond, who has tallied 18 points off seven goals and four assists. Raymond has placed 17 of 29 shots on goal in her 16 starts for Robert Morris. The Colonials have tried three different keepers in net this season, with senior Chelsea de Jager receiving the majority of time in goal. The goalie has earned 16 starts in 16 appearances, logging 85 saves and 25 opponent scores, with a winning record of 8-7.

The Bulldogs have finished the regular season with only two assists on 10 goals, from senior Scout Benson (Lynnfield, Mass.) and freshman Guilmette. Benson's helper came late in the second half against Wagner, when she serviced the ball into the 18-yard box, where classmate Shea Williams (Londonderry, N.H.) was there for the game-winning goal.

Guilmette tallied her first-career assist in game-winning fashion as well, feeding classmate Alex Ralph (Peterborough, Ont.) on a give-and-go in overtime against Central Connecticut.

Junior goalie Conrad has taken command in the Bryant defense and has helped lead the team into the postseason for the first time in program history. With Conrad in net, the Bulldogs have gone 3-6-2 overall and 3-2-1 in the NEC. The colonel has recorded six shutouts this season, five coming against conference foes, ranking her third in program history in single-season shutouts and tied for fifth in her career.

The winner will advance to play the victor of the No. 1 Fairleigh Dickinson vs. No. 4 Saint Francis U. in the NEC Championship on Sunday, Nov. 8 at 12 p.m.

Fans can follow along with all the action, by following live stats at bryantbulldogs.com or watching the live broadcast at necfrontrow.com.