The Bryant women’s soccer team overcame a slow start to the season to go on a hot streak during division play, then posted a resounding win over the University of Maine, a three-time defending champion, to reach its first America East championship game since joining the conference in 2022.
Bryant beat Maine 2-0 last weekend at Beirne Stadium to advance to the Nov. 14 title game against top-seeded Binghamton University. It was the second-seeded Bulldogs’ second win this season over Maine, who they shut out, 1-0, on Oct. 22. The final will be played on Saturday, Nov. 14 in Vestal, New York, with the winner also authoatically qualifying for the NCAA Tournament.
Women’s soccer Head Coach Andy Biggs says his team played a “very complete game” in defeating third-seeded Maine in the playoff semifinals. Bryant was well prepared for the rematch, adds goalkeeper Shannon Mejia '27, who was named to both the All-America East First Team and All-Academic Team at the end of the regular season.
“Maine has won the title the last three years, so we knew it was going to be a huge challenge,” says Mejia, whose nine shutouts this season are the most in Bryant’s Division I program history and second all-time. “It’s tough to beat a team twice, so we knew we had to be ready for a team that knows how to win playoff games and championships. We scouted them well, and we were dominant on the scoring end.”
A season of redemption
Overall, Bryant ran up a regular season record of 7-6-4 and went 4-2-2 in America East Conference games. On Sept. 27, however, the team’s record stood at an underwhelming 2-5-2 following a 3-0 loss to Binghamton in the Bulldogs’ first conference game of the season.
“We haven't had the perfect journey coming in. There was a stretch where we were 0-3 and letting in a lot of goals, but we always knew the next game was another opportunity,” says Mejia.
“We haven't had the perfect journey coming in. There was a stretch where we were 0-3 and letting in a lot of goals, but we always knew the next game was another opportunity."
A 2-0 win over the University of New Hampshire (UNH) just five days later “was huge for us,” says Mejia. “We knew if we could get a win against UNH, we'd still be in a good spot.”
Beginning with the New Hampshire game, the Bulldogs went 5-1-2 down the stretch, including the playoff win over Maine. In those matches, Mejia surrendered just a single goal, helping her earn America East Goalkeeper of the Year honors.
“I know I have a good amount of saves, but they were pretty easy shots for the most part,” Mejia says, deferring credit to defensive players Colleen Ardolino ’27 and Whitney Vaillant ’28, who both named to the All-Conference Second Team, as well as Cassidy Moriarty ’29.
“The number of shots they block is ridiculous,” she says. “We have played so well on defense. We have forwards coming back and blocking shots in our own 18-yard box, which you almost never see. It’s great as a goalie to see how much the team cares about keeping the ball out of the net.”
Mejia says that while she’d always take a 5-4 win over a 1-0 loss, shutouts help build her confidence.
“Even after games where you're letting in goals, you have to believe that you're going to shut out the next team and go in being confident that they can't get one by you,” she says.
Next up: the title game in Binghamton
Binghamton reached the America East final by blanking five seed University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC), 2-0. The top-seeded Bearcats will present another tough matchup for the Bulldogs, who have only recorded one win and one tie against six losses all-time against Binghamton.
In the Sept. 27 game, Bryant kept pace with Binghamton in the first half but surrendered a trio of goals after halftime; Bryant managed to put only one shot on goal in the game.
After that game, however, the Bulldogs had an offensive surge, scoring 11 goals in their final eight matches. Leading the charge for was forward and midfielder Samantha Zaslaw ’27, who has tallied eight goals and 10 assists so far this season, tying her for first in Bryant’s D1 program history for goals and second for total points. The most recent goal by the All-America East First Team honoree was the game-winner against Maine.
“I think we're a completely different team from when we played Binghamton last time,” says Mejia. “We've established so much confidence in ourselves and belief that our team is capable of being the best. We're going to use the next couple days to make sure we fine-tune things, and we'll be ready for Saturday.”