Women's College Soccer
Rider University 1, Manhattan College 0
RIVERDALE, NY- In the late 19th century Manhattan's Brother Jasper was credited with inventing baseball's 'seventh inning stretch'. The Rider Broncs are currently at a crucial stretch in their season, and defeated the Manhattan Jaspers in a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Friday night.
"We played well," said Rider head coach Drayson Hounsome. "We made some changes and that allowed us to possess the ball for longer stretches."
Junior Bridgette Bartkowski (Marlton, NJ/Cherokee) took a pass from senior Abi Cottam (Leominster, England/Ludlow) and scored to give Rider a 1-0 lead with 25 minutes left to play.
Bartkowski is now 19th in career scoring at Rider with 20 points. "It was good to see 'Jet score," Hounsome said.
Cottam is already the career leader in assists at Rider with 23.
Rider (6-3-2, 1-2 MAAC) out-shot Manhattan (4-6, 1-1 MAAC) 18-11, including 8-5 in shots on goal.
Rider senior goalkeeper Jenn Nichols (Stratham, N.H./Exeter) made five saves for her fifth shutout of the season.
Rider and Manhattan did not meet last year. The final game of the 2011 regular season was cancelled due to snow.
Rider has now won the last three meetings with the Jaspers, 1-0 at Manhattan in 2010 and 4-1 at Rider in 2009. The Broncs and Jaspers have now met 16 times since the series began in 1997 with Rider winning six and there have been three ties.
Rider travels to Saint Peter's for a MAAC game Sunday afternoon. Manhattan defeated Saint Peter's 3-0 to begin MAAC play last week. "We got three points (in the standings for a win) tonight and we need to get three points Sunday," Hounsome said.
Three games into the nine-game MAAC schedule is far from the home stretch, but a crucial stretch all the same.
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