September 29, 2008
BULLDOGS HIT THE ROAD FOR TWO MORE; PLAY YALE, WAGNER THIS WEEK
SMITHFIELD, RI- In their lone match last week, the Bryant University women's soccer team played to a scoreless tie with future NEC rival Sacred Heart on a rainy Friday night in Fairfield, Connecticut. The tie gave the Bulldogs a 1-6-2 record heading into action this week, as they get ready to play Yale and Wagner on the road. Senior keepers Jessica Clark (Barnstable, Mass.) and Jessica Neales (Swansea, Mass.) combined to make nine stops in net while shutting out the Pioneers for 110 minutes. Clark made two saves in the first half of play, while Neales made seven in the second half and two overtime periods. Bryant has played to ties in two of their last four matches, but have yet to record a win since an overtime win over Northern Colorado in their season opener.
Scouting the Bulldogs of Yale
The Yale Bulldogs (4-4-1, 0-1-0 Ivy League) enter play
this week ranked seventh in the Northeast in the latest
NSCAA/Adidas Poll and fifth in SoccerBuzz Magazine. The
Bulldogs are coming off a 1-0 loss in their Ivy League opener
against Princeton on Thursday, after earning a 0-0 tie with
24th ranked Santa Clara earlier in the week. This
season, Yale is 0-2-1 against nationally ranked top-25 teams,
losing 2-1 in double overtime to 19th ranked UConn and
4-1 to sixth ranked Stanford earlier this season.
The Bulldogs are led in scoring by senior forward Maggie Westfal, who has scored five goals while also handing out five assists this year, a total of 15 points. Sophomore forward Becky Brown has also been a major contributor with 12 points (3 g, 6 a). Yale has struggled recently, losing of two out of their last three matches, but have played tough competition with two of their last three games coming against top-25 teams.
Scouting the Seahawks
The Wagner Seahawks (2-4-3) are coming off a pair of 1-1
ties last week against Manhattan and Siena. Senior keeper Leslie
Reed was named Northeast Conference Defensive Player of the Week
after making 15 stops in net against Manhattan. The captain has now
made 49 saves for the season, and her 7.00 saves per game average
puts her third in the NEC.
Offensively, the Seahawks are led by Diane Ganthenhammer and
Briana Vasallo who have scored three goals apiece through nine
games. Wagner will kick off their NEC schedule this week against
Long Island University on Friday night before taking on Bryant
Sunday afternoon.
Underclass Heroes
The Bulldogs have seen tremendous contributions from underclassmen
so far this season. Sophomore Sarah Donovan leads the team in
points with six, tallying two goals and two assists, including the
game-tying goal last week at Stony Brook. Freshmen Kaitlyn
Hinck (2g, 0a) and Brooke Duchaney (1g,
2a) are tied for second on the team with four points apiece along
with junior Alex DiPippo (Shelton, Conn.). Hinck
(Bow, N.H.) scored the game winning goal in the first overtime
session against Northern Colorado to give the Bulldogs a win in
their Division I debut. Freshman Kalie Whitehouse
(Braintree, Mass.) recorded her first career goal
in a loss at Northeastern. The underclassmen have accounted for 17
of the 25 total points thus far this season for the Bulldogs.
Follow Bulldog Action Live
The Bulldogs will be in action Wednesday at Yale (7 p.m.).
The Bulldogs will provide live stats. Bryant will then be at Wagner on
Sunday (1 p.m.). Check www.bryantbulldogs.com for
all of your Bryant sports updates.
