College Field Hockey
Rider University 3, Monmouth University 2 (ot)
Northeast Conference Game
Broncs clinch 8th straight post-season berth
WEST LONG BRANCH?Esthetically pleasing it wasn't but the Broncs will take it. Despite giving up a two-goal lead late in the second half, Rider battled back clinching a Northeast Conference post-season berth for the eight straight season with its eighth win, a 3-2 overtime thriller at Monmouth's ?So Sweet a Cat' field Friday afternoon.
“It was an extremely emotional game with the highs and lows,” said head coach Lori Hussong. “Give the kids credit, they hung with it and knew they would get that winning goal.”
Freshman Margaret Ecke (New Egypt) used her defensive skills to save the game for the Broncs. She swept a Monmouth shot off the goal line before clearing the ball down the field, setting up an eventual Rider corner. Ecke scored off that corner with 52 seconds left in the first overtime for the game-winner.
“Monmouth came down and put the ball in the circle and ?J-Lo' [goalie Jen LoCastro] came out and made the initial save,” Ecke remembered. “I was back by the line and I was fortunate to have my stick there in the way. We worked very hard through out the game and I think that's the reason we were able to come out on top.”
“Monmouth had a corner and ?J-Lo' was beat and all they had to do was push it in,” Hussong said. “Ecke made the defensive save, picked up the ball and dribbled down the field to create the opportunity for the game-winner, by creating a corner for us.”
“It was a matter of being in the right place at the right time,” Ecke added about the game-winner. “Walk [Stephanie Walker] made her way toward the goal and I was able to pick the ball up and score.”
“Ecke's defensive save was awesome,” said senior goalie Jen LoCastro (Cherry Hill/Camden Catholic). “I went down to stop a one ?v' one and Ecke was there to clean up the ball.”
Any thought about loaning Ecke the goalie pads next game were quashed by the thoughts of her offensive prowess on the front line. “Ecke is great at scoring,” said LoCastro “and her true value is her hustle getting back on defense and we saw that today. That's a great player right there.”
Rider junior Tricia Crotty (Lewistown, Pa./Indian Valley) scored her team-leading sixth goal of the season just four minutes into the game off an assist from Ecke and junior Diana Celebre (Lake Grove, N.Y./Sachem) and the Broncs led 1-0 at the half.
“We came out on fire,” said LoCastro who made several key saves in the overtime period. “We put on great pressure and being on the road, in a conference game, it was important to show Monmouth that we were there to play and we came out strong.”
LoCastro made six saves as each team reeled off 16 shots. Rider out-shot the Hawks 7-4 in overtime.
Bronc rookie Allison Vogel (Oceanport/Shore Regional) gave Rider a 2-0 lead eight minutes into the second half off an assist from senior Stephanie Walker (Lyman, Maine/Massabesic).
Monmouth (4-10, 3-3 NEC) rallied to tie the game, scoring twice in a two minute span with the final tally coming with 17 minutes left in regulation.
“It's not good for the team to give up two goal leads,” Hussong said. “But give the kids credit, they kept fighting and stayed in the game and created a couple of late chances to score before the overtime period. Monmouth is an excellent team. They pass the ball well and their stick skills are very good. We really feel that we played well against them.”
Rider (8-8) improves to 5-1 in the conference with one game to go traveling to Connecticut on Sunday to face Sacred Heart. The Broncs conclude regular season play hosting former NEC member Fairfield on October 25.
The NEC tournament features the top four teams in the final regular season conference standings with defending champion Lock Haven (6-0 NEC) hosting on November 2-3 as the number one seed.
“We told the kids before the game that a win would solidify our playoff berth,” said Hussong. “They just went out there and played tenacious. We had a couple of defensive miscues in the second half but overall we played the ?Rider' type of field hockey that we needed to.”
“I think we have a really great chance,” Ecke said about the upcoming playoffs. “We started today to really step it up and play ?Rider' field hockey and if we keep up our aggression and passion for the game, we have a chance to go far.”
“We really worked hard to keep up the tradition of making the playoffs,” said LoCastro about the eight year streak. “Today it just took a little bit more time that we would have liked but we battled and hung in.”
Against the Hawks, Rider is now 15-6-3, having won seven straight in the series dating back to the 2002 season. The Monmouth goal at the 51:40 mark today was the first time the Hawks had scored against Rider since 2003, a span of 375:03 and the Hawks scored just 2:14 after that to tie the game. The Broncs had defeated Monmouth four straight times via shutout, 4-0 in 2006, 1-0 in 2005, 4-0 in the 2004 NEC playoffs and 3-0 during the 2004 regular season.
Rider is now 3-1 this season in overtime with all three wins coming during the first overtime period.
Under head coach Lori Hussong, Rider won the 2000, 2002 and 2004 conference post-season tournament and won the Northeast Conference regular season title in 2001, 2003 and 2005.
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