College Field Hockey - Northeast Conference Game
Rider University 4, Quinnipiac University 0
HAMDEN, Conn.?Pretty in pink. In a game that raised money for the ?Play 4 The Cure Field Hockey Events That Give Back' campaign, the Rider University field hockey team won its fifth game in a row, defeating Quinnipiac on Sunday in a Northeast Conference game. “We couldn't have played any better than we did today,” said head coach Lori Hussong. “The kids were on fire and ready to play. They played with wild passion and emotion.”
The game in which both teams wore pink warm up shirts, wrist bands and pink shoe laces, raised money for the ?Play 4 the Cure' program to benefit the Susan G. Komen fund for breast cancer awareness.
“We did a joint fundraiser with Quinnipiac,” said Hussong. “It was a great cause to participate in, not only for breast cancer but for all cancers. We were hit by tragedy last year when a player's mom passed away from lung cancer. We just wanted to be part of a great cause and help out in any way we could.”
For Rider (8-5, 2-0 NEC), freshman Virginia Egusquiza (Getxo, Spain) scored twice with senior Tricia Crotty (Lewistown, Pa./Indian Valley) adding a goal and two assists.
“Virginia finally had that break through game for us,” Hussong said. “She controlled the entire field. She has tremendous skill and has adjusted to our style of play. She is going to be a force to be reckoned with in the league.”
“It was awesome,” Egusquiza said. “We played really well. The American game is played more vertically but I'm adjusting to it and getting more comfortable.”
Junior goalie Lyndsie Johnson (Gibbsboro/Eastern) notched her first career shutout in picking up her eighth win of the season.
“We came out with the mind set that we weren't going to lose,” said Johnson. “These games are difficult and Quinnipiac never quit. We wanted to show the conference that if we work as a team, we can be a dominate force in the league.”
Johnson is currently fourth in the nation in save percentage (.798), 17th in goals against average (1.41) and 24th in saves per game (5.77).
“If we play with that passion and fire that we did today, anything is possible for this team,” Hussong added. “It was a tougher game than the score indicated and Lyndsie came up big for us. Our defense played very well with Lyndsie and we seem to be gelling at the right time.”
The Broncs opened the scoring 17 minutes into the game with senior Diana Celebre (Lake Grove, N.Y./Sachem) scoring her sixth goal of the season (and third this week) off a Crotty assist.
Celebre shot the ball at the cage three minutes later with a tip in from Egusquiza to give Rider a 2-0 lead that the Broncs took into intermission.
Crotty scored her team-leading seventh goal of the season (and 39th of her career) three minutes into the second half on an assist from junior Kelly Crist (Belford/Middletown North).
Crotty passed the ball across the cage with Egusquiza scoring her third goal of the season nine minutes later for the final score.
“Tricia was exceptional,” Hussong added. “On both ends of the field, she made plays. She anchors our corner defense and actually stole the ball twice off Quinnipiac corners and that led to one of our goals and that was a big momentum swing. Instead of Quinnipiac getting a good scoring opportunity, we scored and Tricia's effort caused that to happen.”
Already fifth all-time in goals with 39, Crotty moved into sixth place all-time on the Bronc points list with 92, passing Stephanie Walker, who graduated in 2007 with 90.
“It was an awesome game,” Crotty said. “We just brought it together. “The defense was really strong and Lyndsie especially was really great in the cage. Things just clicked today and everyone did their part.”
Rider out-shot the Bearcats 13-10 with Johnson making eight saves.
“Our defense is only allowing an average of one goal per game,” Hussong added. “That's a bonus for us but we still have to continue to put the ball into the cage and today we did that. It was a compete effort.”
Quinnipiac held a 6-4 advantage in penalty corners.
Rider has won 11 of the 21 games all-time against Quinnipiac including the last two in a row. The Broncs won in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, 2-1 in 2007.
This is Rider's longest winning streak since winning six in a row during the 2006 season and marks the second year in a row that the Broncs have started conference play 2-0.
The Broncs host Saint Francis-Pa., on Friday in a Northeast Conference game at 4:00pm. “We are taking things one game at a time,” Hussong said. “There is not one easy conference game and even though we have the next two at home, we just have to worry about Friday. There are no games that we can win without our best effort.”
A conference win on the road with money raised for a good cause. For these Broncs normally clad in cranberry, Rider was definitely ?pretty in pink' on Sunday.
For more information on the fundraiser, visit www.play4thecure.com.
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