Women's College Soccer
Rider University 2, Manhattan College 1 (2 o.t.)
RIVERDALE, NY—You often hear athletes state a technical impossibility, that they give 110 percent. On Saturday, 80 percent was good enough.
Sophomore Tara Ballay (Delran, NJ/Delran), who missed nine games this season due to injury, came back to score twice on Saturday, including the game-winner in overtime, to lead Rider to a come-from-behind Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference victory at Manhattan.
“Tara did a great job today,” said Rider head coach Drayson Hounsome. “She didn't start but with the overtime she played close to 90 minutes. She still needs to wear the brace for another game or two but hopefully she'll be closer to 100 percent by tournament time. She scored twice at about 80 percent today.”
Manhattan (5-10-1, 2-5-1 MAAC) scored in the 10th minute of play from 15 yards out to take a 1-0 lead. “We gave up a disappointing goal, a soft goal,” Hounsome said. “To come back from that is obviously another bonus that we take from this win.”
The victory was the first road win in MAAC play for the Broncs. “We knew somewhere along the line we needed to get three points (for a win) on the road and we waited until the last road game to do it,” Hounsome said.
Rider (7-7, 4-4 MAAC) tied the score at 1-1 in the 29th minute when senior Jody Sokol (Bensalem, PA/Bensalem) crossed the ball into the box and Ballay got a head on it for her first goal of the season.
The MAAC Rookie of the Year in 2012 with four goals and three assists, Ballay took a crossing pass from senior Jennifer Meier (Sayville, NY/St. Anthony's) and Ballay used her head again for the game winner.
Rider out-shot Manhattan 18-17, but the Jaspers had six shots in overtime to Rider's three.
Rider freshman goalkeeper Bethany-May Howard (Glastonbury, England/Bridgwater College) played the first half and made two saves. Freshman goalkeeper Vanessa Perdomo (Hillsborough, NJ/South Brunswick) played the final 61 scoreless minutes and made five saves for her fifth victory.
The Broncs won 1-0 here at Manhattan last year. Rider won 1-0 at Manhattan in 2010 and 4-1 at Rider in 2009. The Broncs and Jaspers have now met 17 times since the series began in 1997 and the series is now tied at 7-7-3.
Rider returns home to host Niagara Wednesday at 4pm and Fairfield Saturday in the final regular season games before the 11-team MAAC Championship Tournament in Florida. “We need to take care of the home games,” Hounsome said, “and hopefully be in a strong position going down to Disney.”
Hopefully Rider will be 100 percent for those games. On Saturday, 80 percent was good enough for Ballay.
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