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SMITHFIELD, R.I. – With an opportunity to move back to .500 on the season, the Bryant University field hockey team will open up a two-game road stint against Ivy League Schools, starting with a Sunday afternoon tilt against Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H. Game time is set for 3 p.m.
The Bulldogs (2-3) have reeled off a pair of victories at home, downing BIG EAST opponent Georgetown University, 3-1, before most recently handing NorPac representative Pacific a 4-1 defeat on Monday, Sept. 12. Six different players have found the back of the cage during that span, while sophomore goaltender Megan Hancock (Skowhegan, Maine) recorded victories during both outings, posting a .900 save percentage through both games on 18 saves against 20 shots. The Black and Gold are still in search of their first road win of the season.
The Big Green (2-2) lead the Ivy League in a few major offensive categories, with their 14 goals, 3.5 goals per game, 14 assists and 3.5 assists per game all leading the conference in those categories. Senior Kelly Hood is atop the team leaderboard, and leads Ivy League players in points (12), goals (5) and shots (26), while junior Lisa Masini's five assists top the conference as well. Five other players have found the back of the cage for a relatively balanced offense, while Megan Vakiener has started all four games in net, posting a 3.25 goals against average and a .606 save percentage.
Dartmouth leads the all-time series, 3-0, with the two teams' most recent meeting coming a season ago, also in Hanover, with the Big Green pulling out a 9-2 home victory on Sept. 12, 2010. Senior Courtney Landi (Kingston, N.Y.) scored at 27:19 to make it a 2-1 Dartmouth lead after halftime, but the Big Green outscored Bryant 7-1 in the second stanza. Brittany Glenn also found the back of the cage in that game for the Bulldogs.
Rookie standout Rosie Bird (Hamilton, New Zealand) has scored a goal in all but one of Bryant's five games, and is currently tied for third in the Northeast Conference with 11 points (5g, 1a). Hancock and senior Jennifer Gullotti (Waltham, Mass.) have split the goaltending duties, with Hancock posting a 2.92 goals against average with a .731 save percentage through three games. Gullotti has put up a 4.61 GAA in over 180 minutes of action.
After Sunday's game, the Bulldogs will travel to Providence for a battle against Brown on Tuesday, Sept. 20. Game time is set for 4 p.m.
For continuing coverage of Bryant field hockey, check back at www.bryantbulldogs.com, and follow the Bulldogs on Twitter @BryantAthletics.
