Women's College Soccer
Niagara University 1, Rider University 0
NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, N.Y.--The Broncs lost a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference game at defending champion Niagara Friday afternoon. “I thought our team did not show up today,” said Rider head coach Kevin Long. “How do you not bring your best effort against the reigning conference champion? I don't understand that. We made too many errors.”
The victory was the third in a row for Niagara (9-5-0, 4-1 MAAC) and sixth in the last seven games. The loss was the second in a row for Rider (5-6-3, 1-3 MAAC).
Rider senior Michele Ripoll (Point Pleasant, N.J./Point Pleasant Boro) scored from 35 yards out to cut the lead to 2-1 with 14 minutes left in the game, but that was as close as the Broncs could get. “The ball was cleared out of the box by a Niagara player and I shot it into the upper left corner,” Ripoll said.
“Rip took a good shot,” Long said. “It was a well struck ball. It got us to 2-1 and after that we were really pressuring them. After that goal we were able to apply the most pressure we had the entire game. Unfortunately it was too little too late.”
“Being down 2-0 is tough but once we scored one everyone started playing with more intensity,” Ripoll said.
The goal was the first of Ripoll's career, having missed all but one game in each of the last two seasons due to injuries. “It was exciting but we didn't get the result we wanted so I wasn't as happy as I could have been,” Ripoll said.
Shaylyn Lawrence scored her second goal of the season in the 24th minute of play on a rebound after a scramble in the box to give Niagara a 1-0 lead. “That was a poor first goal to give up,” Long said. “It came off a poor clearance. The ball seemed to just sit there for a long time. Any team is going to score when given that kind of opportunity.”
The Purple Eagles scored again in the 67th minute when Chiara Greco took a shot from just outside the box for her fourth goal of the season.
Niagara out-shot Rider 22-14, including 8-1 in the first 10 minutes of the game. “After the first ten minutes the game was very even,” Long said. “It was a good game.”
Both teams had nine shots on goal for the game.
Ripoll and junior Kayla Devlin (Clifton, N.J./Clifton) each had three of Rider's 14 shots. Senior Stephanie Madden (Fair Haven, N.J./Rumson-Fair Haven Regional) had two shots, both on goal for Rider. “Steph had a shot that their keeper made a good save on early in the game,” Long said. “I thought (sophomore) Stacy Belgiovene (Toms River North) played really well for us on defense.”
Rider freshman goalkeeper Alex Post (Chalfont, Pa./Central Bucks West) made seven saves. Ashleigh Bowers made eight saves for Niagara. “Their keeper had a very good game,” Long said.
Rider lost 6-2 to Niagara last season at Rider. The two teams have met 11 times since the series began in 1997, with Rider winning four. Niagara has won the last three meetings. “They seem to have our number,” Long said.
Rider will stay in Western New York and play at Canisius Sunday afternoon. “We're in a must-win situation now,” Long said. “We came up here needing two wins. Now we have to play with an urgency that we need victories to make the playoffs and we don't have many games left.”
“Sunday should be a really good game,” Ripoll said. “I'm excited about it.”
“Hopefully we'll learn from today and play better at Canisius and come home with a split,” Long said. “Normally a split on the road is a good thing, but we came up here thinking we needed two wins. Now we'll have to settle for one.”
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