College Field Hockey
Rider University 6, Bryant University 0
Northeast Conference Game
SMITHFIELD, RI--On the strength of two goals from sophomore Sandra Penas (Barcelona, Spain) and two assists from junior Marlaine Schneider (Feasterville, Pa./Neshaminy), the Rider University field hockey team won its seventh in a row with a 6-0 Northeast Conference win at Bryant University Sunday afternoon.
"We won by a lot but the game was much tougher than the final score indicates," said head coach Lori Hussong. "Bryant is competitive and played an extremely physical game."
Rider (11-1, 2-0 NEC), the two-time defending conference champion, got on the board just 4:37 into the game when junior Gabby Burgo (Collingswood) scored her fifth of the season on a rebound with senior Megan Pisani (Plainsboro/W. Windsor-Plainsboro North) providing the assist. Three of Burgo's five goals this season have been game-winners.
"It was important to get off to a good start," said Hussong. "It takes that much pressure off the defense. We played tough today. When things got tougher as the game went on, every player on the field stepped it up and rose to the challenge. This is a great win for us and I'm proud of them."
Less than three minutes later, senior Virginia Egusquiza (Getxo, Spain) gave the Broncs a 2-0 lead with her 12th goal of the season on a penalty corner with Schneider providing the helper.
"We know for us to be successful, we need Marlaine on her game," Hussong said about Schneider who had two goals and three assists in the two conference road wins this weekend. "She is tough and tenacious and is playing her best field hockey of the season right now. She has provided a spark for us."
"The weekend went very well," Schneider said. "I would not have been successful without the team backing me up. Today we played well and we really played together as a team and that led to the win." Schneider now has 12 assists in 12 games, third best in the nation.
Pisani converted a Bryant turnover into her ninth goal of the season and Rider by three goals at the 15:59 mark of the first half.
After a Bulldog timeout and goaltender change, Bryant reeled off four penalty corners in the final 10 minutes of the first half but could not solve the Rider defense and the Broncs led 3-0 at intermission.
The teams played even in the first 10 minutes of the second half prompting a Rider time out. The Broncs had five penalty corners in an eight minute span, the last resulting in a goal from sophomore Alicia Govannicci (Springfield, Pa./Cardinal O'Hara), her second of the season, giving Rider a 4-0 lead with 17 minutes left.
"Alicia, her efforts probably get overlooked a little," Hussong said. "She played an outstanding game today, was a catalyst and is also a key to our continued success."
"Today, we came out ready to play and just really wanted to show everyone in the conference what we are about," said Govannicci who scored the game-winner in the 2010 NEC Championship game against Monmouth. "We worked things out, worked together as a team and got through the game against a tough opponent."
Penas, the reigning NEC Rookie of the Year, scored back-to-back goals, including her team-leading 13th of the season in the 59th minute on a shot through traffic for the final score. Egusquiza and Schneider provided the assists on the first Penas goal off a penalty corner that gave the Broncs a 5-0 lead in the 57th minute.
Senior goalie Rebecca Lotito (Oceanport/Shore Regional) continued her strong play, making five saves for her sixth shutout of the season (Rider's seventh) as the Broncs out-shot Bryant 28-13.
Lotito is now 24-3 in her Rider career.
"The defense has improved every game," Govannicci added about the unit that posted back-to-back conference road shutouts. "Tito's communication has been great and we've just been working together as a group."
Rider held a 13-12 penalty corner advantage.
The Broncs improved to 4-0 all-time against Bryant. Rider defeated the Bulldogs 3-0 in Lawrenceville last season and 3-0 in West Windsor in 2009. Bryant gave Rider a battle in Smithfield before losing to the Broncs 2-1 in 2008 in their first season in the NEC while transitioning to Division I in all sports.
Winners of the 2009 and 2010 NEC regular season titles and the 2010 Northeast Conference championship, Rider has won 18 regular season conference games in a row dating back to the 2008 season.
Undefeated (11-0) on the newly named Ben Cohen Field, the one-year old turf field home to Rider field hockey and soccer, the Broncs return home to face Sacred Heart (Alumni Night) on October 14 at 7pm and Quinnipiac October 16 at noon in a pair of NEC contests.
"It will be nice to play at home," said Hussong who saw her Broncs go undefeated in the six game stretch away from Lawrenceville. "We know we have two tough games coming up. The conference is getting stronger and we have to keep playing our style."
"The next couple of games are going to be tough," Schneider added. "We are playing with confidence and I expect that we will come out on fire and ready to go. It will be nice to be at home after all of the travel and I'm looking forward to all the support that our home crowd gives us."
"Having home games, I'm really excited," Govannicci said. "I like being home because we get a lot of fans and I feel that we play even harder defending our home turf."
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