College Field Hockey
Rider University 2, University of Rhode Island 1
KINGSTON, R.I.?The old saying goes, offense wins games, defense wins championships. If the Rider field hockey team is going to make a run at another conference title, the defense will be looked upon to step up and lead the team. On Sunday, at Rhode Island, the Broncs installed a new defensive scheme and in the process, defeated the Rhody's from the Atlantic 10 in a non-conference game. “The kids played hard,” said head coach Lori Hussong. “They were ready to go from the minute that the game started.”
Rider junior Tricia Crotty (Lewistown, Pa./Indian Valley) had a goal and an assist with fellow junior Diana Celebre (Lake Grove, N.Y./Sachem) notching the eventual game winner as the Broncs posted a 2-1 win.
Crotty scored her third goal of the season and the 25th of her career just 3:39 in off a Michaela Franey (York, Maine/York) pass after a scramble in front of the goal. Franey, the two-time Northeast Conference Rookie of the Week leads the Broncs with five assists.
“The game went well,” said Crotty. “We were working on a new system today and are working on making it stronger as we head in to the conference schedule next week. The defense really did well today hitting the ball out and up to the offense.”
“Anytime you beat an Atlantic 10 team, it is good for the conference,” said Hussong. “Rhode Island entered the game 5-1 and for us to come onto their field and win, I am very proud of the team. This was not an easy thing to do especially while revising the defensive responsibilities.”
Rider is now 3-0 all-time against the Rams.
“We scored pretty quickly and the score remained 1-0 for a long time,” Hussong remembered. “Then Celebre scored and that was a huge goal because Rhode Island was really coming on strong at the end.”
Thirteen minutes into the second half, Celebre scored her second goal of the season off a Crotty crossing pass for what turned out to be the winning goal.
“Crotty gets the ball down the field and makes things happen for us,” Hussong said. “She is always giving a second effort and never gives up and that is great example for the younger players to follow.”
Rhode Island broke the shutout with less than three minutes left in the game for the final score.
Senior goalie Jen LoCastro (Cherry Hill, N.J./Camden Catholic) made 10 saves as Rhode Island out-shot the Broncs 15-6 and held a 13-4 advantage in penalty corners. LoCastro came up big when it counted, making seven saves in the second half as the Broncs protected the lead.
“J-Lo kept us in the game,” Hussong added. “She was facing a lot of shots, especially in the final minutes and she really gave us a chance to win today. She has done a great job all year and especially today, she was outstanding.”
“This was a big win,” said LoCastro. “Our defense played awesome today. This is a great boost to our confidence that we can beat a school out of the A-10, especially on the road.”
“The defense was a lot more organized today,” said junior Julie Vaccarelli (Oceanport, N.J./Shore Regional), who is among the Bronc leaders in defensive saves and anchors the defensive unit. “Everyone put in a really strong effort and we were very happy with that. The early score by Crotty helped us to just go out and play but we also had pressure on us to hold the lead and keep Rhode Island off the board.”
Crotty was also a key player in the newly refined defensive effort, making a key defensive save in addition to her scoring.
“We made some changes in out defensive scheme and that seemed to help today,” said Hussong. “We seemed to have better control of the ball and were able to generate some chances going into the offensive end.”
The Broncs return home for only the second time this season for an NEC game against Quinnipiac at noon on September 23.
-RU-
