September 30, 2007
SECOND RANKED BRYANT REMAINS UNBEATEN AS BULLDOGS DEFEAT
BRIDGEPORT 3-1 SUNDAY
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| Freshman Kim Rich scored the game winner and added an assist in
the team's 3-1 win over Bridgeport Sunday. www.dspics.com
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SMITHFIELD, RI - Freshman Kim Rich (Lancaster, Mass.) scored the
game-winning goal and added an assist as second-ranked Bryant
University slipped past visiting Bridgeport, 3-1 in non-conference
women's soccer action Sunday afternoon at Bulldog Stadium.
The win keeps Bryant unbeaten after 14 games as the Bulldogs
improve to 12-0-2 overall.
The Bulldogs made it weekend sweep of East Coast Conference
schools. After knocking off New Haven 3-0 Friday evening, the
Bulldogs contained the high-powered Purple Knight offense in
earning the win victory.
Bridgeport (8-5) had the first good scoring opportunity of the
afternoon, but Danielle Duschene's shot from 24 yards out sailed
over the head of Bryant goalie Jessica Neales and hit the cross
bar.
The Bulldogs would get on the board in the 25th
minute as Rich slid a well-timed pass back to Del Mistro on the
18-yard box and blasted a one-timer past Bridgeport goal Elina
Yletyinen to put the Bulldogs up 1-0.
Bryant had two good changes in the 38th minute as
Rich fed another nice pass through the Purple Knight defense to
Stephanie Zalewski inside the Bridgeport goal box. But the
Bulldog senior never had a chance to get a good shot off on the
Purple Knight goal. Seconds later, Zalewski again unleashed a
hard shot on goal but was stopped by Yletyinen to keep it a 1-0
game.
That's the way the game would remain until the 65th
minute when the Purple Knights pulled even as Jami Elliott of
nearby Cumberland, RI got the equalizer after the Bryant defense
failed to clear the ball out of the box after a Bridgeport
corner. Linda Velaj dished the ball back to Elliott who
tucked the ball inside the left post, past the reach of a diving
Neales.
But the goal would only serve as a wake-up for the Bulldog
offense as Rich put the Bulldogs ahead in the 76th
minute as Megan Vayo (Hanson, Mass) put on a good rush down the
left side and sent a perfect low cross through the box to a waiting
Rich who tapped in the go-ahead score into an empty net.
Three minutes later, Rich again would help factor in Bryant's
third tally as Sarah Donovan (Storrs, Conn.) fed a cutting Rich who
broke in all alone on the Bridgeport goal. Her shot hit the left
post but the rebound came right to Donovan who easily scored to
make it 3-1.
Bryant will host 10th-ranked Saint Rose Wednesday (3
pm) at Bulldog Stadium in a rematch of last year's first round NCAA
playoff game won by the Golden Knights 2-0.
@ Smithfield, RI.
#2 Bryant 3, Bridgeport 1
Goals: B - Del Mistro, Rich, Donovan. Br - Elliott.
Shots: B - 17. Br - 9 Saves: B - Neales 3.
Br - Yletyinen 4
Records: Bryant 12-0-2; Bridgeport 8-5
Halftime - Bryant 1-0.
