Bryant ready to face LIU Brooklyn, Central Connecticut

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – As the regular season winds down, the Bryant University women's soccer team has a chance to gain some momentum as they chase down a NEC postseason berth with bouts against LIU Brooklyn and Central Connecticut.

Friday's Particulars

Opponent: LIU Brooklyn

Kickoff: 4:00 p.m. EDT

Video: NEC Front Row

Live Stats: Sidearm Stats

Series History

• The Blackbirds own the Division I series history between these two schools, winning five of the eight matches, but the Bulldogs are unbeaten in the last three at 2-0-1. This will be the first contest in Brooklyn since 2013 when the Blackbirds won 3-2.  

A bit about the Blackbirds

• LIU Brooklyn enters the weekend losers of three in a row to Fairleigh Dickinson, Robert Morris and Sacred Heart, dropping its conference record to 1-3-1 and its overall record to 3-9-2.
• The Blackbirds have scored eight goals on the season and half of them have come from their leader, Jenn Peters.
• Kimberly Butland is second on the team with four points, recording a goal and two assists for the year.
• Aline Allman has started 10 games in net for LIU Brooklyn, recording a 0.99 goals-against average and a .875 save percentage.

Sunday's Particulars

Opponent: Central Connecticut State

Kickoff: 3:00 p.m. EDT

Video: NEC Front Row

Live Stats: Presto Sports

Series History

• Central Connecticut leads the Division I series with five wins in the eight matches between the schools, but the Bulldogs won the last time they played in Smithfield on an Alex Ralph (Peterborough, Ont.) overtime goal off a feed from Alison Guilmette (Coventry, R.I.) to give Bryant a 1-0 victory.

A bit about the Blue Devils

• Central Connecticut enters the weekend winners of three in a row, throwing themselves back in the thick of the NEC postseason race.
• At 7-7 and 3-2 in the Northeast Conference, the Blue Devils are currently tied for third in the league with nine points.
• Danielle Pearse leads CCSU on the offensive, recording eight points on the season with three goals and two assists.
• In net, two-time NEC Defensive Player of the Week Ashley Cavanaugh has a 0.79 goals-against average with a .828 save percentage on the season.

Bulldogs Notes and Notables

• Senior Rachel Brightman (Rochester, N.Y.) has started to find her form late, recorded five saves in her last two matches, the most in a two-game span this season.
• Senior Haley Reddish (Natick, Mass.) has recorded four points in her career against the Blackbirds, including two assists in the 2016 meeting.
• Freshman Katie Cronin (Feeding Hills, Mass.) has five points on the season, tied for the most by a Bulldog freshman in a campaign since Rachael Ivanicki in 2012.
• The Bulldogs are on a seven-game unbeaten streak at home, their longest in a season in the Division I era.
• Bryant is one of 32 teams out of 333 programs that are unbeaten at home.