Bulldogs travel to Mount and host Knights in weekend set

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Already midway through league play and with only five games remaining in the regular season, the Bryant University women's soccer team will look to keep pace in the Northeast Conference, as it travels to Mount St. Mary's on Friday and hosts Fairleigh Dickinson on Sunday.

The Bulldogs (6-7, 2-1) are 2-4-1 against the Mountaineers (4-7-1, 0-2) and 3-3-1 against the Knights (4-9, 2-0). Despite a sub-.500 record against the Mount, Bryant has matched up evenly, as all seven meetings have been one-goal games with five being decided in overtime. The Bulldogs defeated FDU in three of the first four matchups and allowed just one goal, but they have dropped the last three encounters and have been shutout each time.

Bryant fell to league-leading Central Connecticut, 3-0, last Friday on the road and will look to get back on track Friday before returning to Smithfield, where they are 2-0 against NEC opponents with four goals scored. The Bulldogs attempted just five shots against the Blue Devils with three on net and will need more production from their midfield and forwards.

Sophomore Alison Guilmette (Coventry, R.I.) and junior Haley Reddish (Natick, Mass.) along with senior Kianna Woods (Stafford Springs, Conn.) all have six points this season to lead Bryant. Freshmen Remi Manna (Pleasantville, N.Y.) and Caitlyn Linden (Newtown, Conn.) follow with five and three points, respectively.

The offense will need to be aggressive this weekend but will have many different options to get on track. The defense will rely mainly on senior keeper Kaylan Conrad (Avon, Conn.), who allowed a season-high three goals against CCSU. She has yet to defeat the Mountaineers and the Knights, but she does have 22 saves in three meetings with the Mount while allowed just four goals. Conrad remains second in the conference with five shutouts, a 0.800 save percentage and a 1.045 goals-against average.

Scouting the Mountaineers

Mount St. Mary's is led by its NEC-leading offense at 1.25 goals per game, 3.83 points per game and 1.33 assists per game. Freshman Jaylyn Chandler has ignited the attack this season with 10 points on four goals and two assists. Sophomore Jenna West is right behind with nine points on three scores and three assists and junior Chloe Cain has added five on two goals and a helper. The Mountaineers' deep array of contributors includes four players with three points on a goal and an assist each, three with two points and four with one point.

Senior keeper Maddy Bunnell is in her first season with the Mountaineers after transferring from Central Michigan and she has started 10 of the 12 games. Bunnell makes 6.40 saves per game to sit third in the league and she has a 1.85 goals-against average, as the Mountaineers hold the fourth-best total in the conference for the same statistic (1.633).

Scouting the Knights

Fairleigh Dickinson has been the most consistent team in the NEC over the last three years, having gone to the conference tournament in each season and lost just two league games over that time. The defending champs have struggled this year compared to last year's team that won 16 games, but they opened up conference play with wins over Saint Francis U. and Wagner and have not lost a regular-season NEC contest since October 10, 2014.

The Knights are guided by sophomore Elma Kolenovic's 14 points on six goals and two assists, and classmate Jessi Reinhardt has been the running mate with 10 points on three goals and four assists. Junior Dara Battistoni has tallied six points on two scores and two assists, senior Connie Lewis has two goals on the season, and three others have added multiple points. Kolenovic has played in just 11 games, but she leads the conference with 0.55 goals per game and 1.27 points per game.

The FDU defense has been a weak spot this season following the loss of keeper Felicia Burr to graduation, who earned shutouts against Bryant in each of the last two meetings. Freshman Amanda Fitzgerald took over in goal this season and she allows 2.87 goals per contest, as the Knights are last in the NEC with a 2.771 goals-against average.

The backline has not done her many favors, as she has faced 209 shots this year. But to Fitzgerald's credit, she has made plenty of stops and leads the league with 6.92 saves per game, 11th most in the nation.

Friday's match kicks off at 4:00 p.m., while Sunday's starts at 1:00 p.m. The Mount game can be followed along via livestats MountAthletics.com, the FDU game can be followed along on Twitter @BryantGameday or livestats on BryantBulldogs.com, and both matches can be seen live on NECFrontRow.com.