Box Score Women's College Soccer
Rider University 3, Manhattan College 1
LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ—Rider's next home game, October 29, will be Senior Day. On Saturday, it was Freshman Day.
Three goals and three assists came from freshmen, as the Broncs recorded a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference victory over Manhattan Saturday afternoon.
Freshman Carissa Sanchez (Miami, Fla. /Archbishop McCarthy) had two goals and an assist to lead the Broncs. “She's proven to be a really good player,” said Rider head coach Drayson Hounsome. “She played really well.”
Sanchez passed the ball to freshman Ellie Smith (Norwich, England/Norwich City), who scored her first collegiate goal, giving Rider a 1-0 lead in the 44th minute of play. “It was good to see Smithy get her first goal,” Hounsome said. “She got us going today.”
“I was about to shoot the ball,” said Sanchez, the MAAC Rookie of the Week last week, “but the ball rebounded off a player and it went to Ellie who got it and shot it.”
Just 35 seconds later, Manhattan (6-7-2, 1-4-2-MAAC) tied the score on a header.
Rider (9-4-1, 4-2-1 MAAC) took a 2-1 lead in the 52nd minute when freshman Alanna McDougall (Valley Stream, N.Y. /Valley Stream North) passed the ball to sophomore Caroline Healy (Dublin, Ireland/Alexandra College), who sent in a perfect crossing pass to Sanchez, who one-timed the goal from in close with her left foot.
“Caro crossed it and I one-timed it and it went in,” Sanchez said.
Sanchez took another crossing pass from Healy after a pass from Smith and scored the insurance goal in the 58th minute of play.
Rider sophomore goalkeeper Bethany-May Howard (Glastonbury, England/Bridgwater College) made three saves.
Rider out-shot the Jaspers 20-7, including 13-1 in the second half.
Last season Rider defeated Manhattan 2-1 in overtime. The two teams have now met 18 times with the Broncs taking an 8-7-3 lead in the series. The last time Manhattan defeated Rider was 2009 in the MAAC playoffs.
Rider travels to Saint Peter's for an hOURglass Rivalry MAAC game Wednesday afternoon. “We're going there to get three points (for a win) and hopefully three more points will get us into the playoffs,” Hounsome said.
“We just have to win the next few games and we're in the playoffs,” Sanchez said.
That will make for an enjoyable Senior Day.
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