Before a lacrosse game, Emily DeGeorge ’26 goes inward, locking in with a time-tested pregame ritual that includes a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and an energy drink. The more extroverted Kaelynn O’Brien ’27, though, goes all in on the team’s psych-up dance parties — and notes with pride that she can usually draw DeGeorge in.
DeGeorge and O’Brien — “Georgie” and “K.O.B.” to their teammates — have been called the “one-two punch” of Bryant women’s lacrosse. But to hear them tell it, it’s really more of a dance: an intuitive give-and-take that allows the team to move as one on the field, and all the way to this year’s America East Championship game.
It’s a major feat, given that preseason polls ranked them as serious underdogs. The team took that as more than a challenge; they saw it as an affront. “It fired us all up,” DeGeorge reflects. “We wanted to prove them wrong.”
“We took it personally,” O’Brien agrees with a slight nod.
O’Brien, who was named America East Defender of the Year this season, points to the draw — the face-off at the start of every half and after every goal — as an example of how the team works together. “Georgie will be in the center making the first move, but I’ll be at the edges waiting to move in,” she explains. “It all flows together.”
DeGeorge is on the same page. After scoring a career-high six goals against Stonybrook in the team’s home opener, her first thought was to credit her teammates. “They were setting me up and we were bouncing off each other all day,” she reflects.
“We’ve always had the talent, but this year we’ve really locked in with our mindset.”
A week later, they helped her break her record again.
The pair call it “dawg mentality,” a collective drive among the Bulldogs to do the hard work and to do it together. Beyond practices, the squad remains intact — for team dinners, or study sessions, or just hanging out between classes.
“We find a reason,” says O’Brien.
When you’re that close, the bond pays off on the field.
“We start to get a sense of each other’s tendencies, and you know what everyone else is thinking,” says O’Brien. “We’ve always had the talent, but this year we’ve really locked in with our mindset.”
Call it camaraderie, call it esprit de corps; they call it their secret weapon — and they used it to shock the America East Conference this year.
“To see everyone out there in the crowd, all of our families and classmates — and to see that this could happen on our field — was amazing.”
A decisive 10-goal victory over Binghamton University, last year’s America East champion, marked their arrival. “That’s when people started taking notice of us,” says DeGeorge. “We showed them what we could do.”
Their winning season took them to the program’s first championship game, a triumph made all the sweeter because the tournament was hosted by Bryant. “To see everyone out there in the crowd, all of our families and classmates — and to see that this could happen on our field — was amazing,” O’Brien recalls.
While the team fell short of being crowned champions, that just means there’s unfinished business to take care of.
“There’s more for us out there,” says Georgie.
“We’re coming back next year,” K.O.B. agrees.