Bulldogs battle but comeback falls short in Sunday’s 2-1 loss to Knights

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Bryant University women's soccer team fought back to cut into the 2-0 halftime deficit, but despite four second-half shots, a pair of corners and free kicks into the box, it could not find an equalizer and dropped Sunday's home match to Fairleigh Dickinson, 2-0.

The defending Northeast Conference champion Knights (5-9-1, 3-0-1) dodged a pair of bullets in the first 10 minutes, as the Bulldogs (7-8, 3-2) delivered two dangerous crosses into the box that easily could have been goals. Senior Kianna Woods (Stafford Springs, Conn.) made a strong run down the left wing, sent a low cross in but two Bryant players in the box could not make contact with the ball.

Following a Knights foul on the far left wing, sophomore Alison Guilmette (Coventry, R.I.) lined up for a free kick and flung a cross into the box. FDU keeper Amanda Fitzgerald just got a fingertip on the ball and could not clear, leaving junior Claire Bergh (Calgary, Alberta) alone near the left post, but her shot from two yards out went wide.

The two missed opportunities came back to haunt the Bulldogs just two minutes later, as senior netminder Kaylan Conrad (Avon, Conn.) sent a pass up towards midfield that was intercepted by the Knights. Dara Battistoni won her team possession, turned and sent a low shot to the far post from 25 yards out, beating Conrad who had to backtrack 10 yards to even make a save attempt.

Jessi Reinhardt handled a Knight corner in the 29th minute, sent it high and the ball appeared to hit the cross bar just out of the reach of a leaping Conrad. But Conrad made slight contact with the ball before going out, giving Fairleigh Dickinson another corner. Reinhardt quickly struck the set piece from the opposite side, found the head of Jackson Bennett, who buried it to the right post.

Bryant had a chance to get closer six minutes later, as junior Haley Reddish (Natick, Mass.) took a cross into the box and shot off of a bounce from five yards out, but Fitzgerald was there for her first save of the game. Conrad answered and kept the deficit at two scores two minutes later on a Gabrielle Gibson shot from just inside the box. Conrad dove to her left and punched the ball away to preserve the score line heading into the break.

The Bulldogs came out urgent to start the second frame, racking up three shots and earning a corner in less than 10 minutes. The third shot came in the 52nd minute on the tail end of an Abigail Smith (Kingston, N.H.) through ball from the left wing. She found her classmate, Woods, alone from just outside the top of the box, who was able to get a hard shot off that found the back of the net.

The Bulldogs continued to press, but the offense became somewhat stagnant and stuck near midfield, as the Knights took away runs and quality looks. Bryant sent a pair of crosses into the box on free kicks, but could not get a shot sent on frame over the final 37 minutes.

Reddish led the offense with a match-high four shots, two on net. Woods totaled two shots with her fourth goal over the last five games, and Smith tallied her first assist of the year. Conrad made three stops in the loss.

Stasi Torchia was the only Knight with multiple shots, one being on net. FDU had just six shots total, but sent five on target and earned four corners in the second half where it did all of its damage.

The Bulldogs will try to get back to .500 when they take on Wagner College in Staten Island on Friday at 7:00 p.m.