Box Score Women's College Soccer
MAAC Semifinals
#4 Rider University 1, #1 Monmouth University 0
WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ— Puppy Love is an informal term for feelings of love or infatuation, often felt by young people. It is named for its resemblance to the adoring, worshipful affection that may be felt by a puppy.
The Rider Broncs have advanced to the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Championship Game for the first time since 2004, upsetting the top seed and defending champion Monmouth Hawks Friday night in the semifinals at Monmouth.
And they are loving it.
“This is fantastic,” said a happy Rider head coach Drayson Hounsome. “We wanted to be playing on Sunday and we are. It was just a fantastic performance from this group of young ladies.”
Young is the key word, with just one senior in the line-up.
“They are so young they don't know anything different,” Hounsome said. “We said before it is like having 18 puppies on the team. They are just so excitable.”
Rider (12-5-2) will now play Sunday at 3pm against the second seed, Fairfield in the Title Game, also held at Monmouth.
Sophomore Priscilla Santos (Glendora, Calif./Glendora), a Second Team All-MAAC selection, scored on a direct kick from 20 yards out in the 40th minute of play for the only goal of the game. “Priscilla scored a really nice goal,” Hounsome said. “We've seen her do that so we know she has a great shot. She rocketed it in the top corner.”
For Santos, it was her fourth goal of the season and the seventh of her career.
Rider had not beaten Monmouth since 2003, going 0-6-2 against the Hawks since then, including a 3-0 loss in the MAAC semifinals last year. “Monmouth is a great team,” Hounsome said. “Last time we played them we were on two days rest. Today we were on a week's rest.”
The Broncs lost 1-0 to Monmouth during the 2014 regular season.
“The work-rate today was fantastic,” Hounsome said. “We knew it would be key to win the 50-50 balls and we did that tonight. We had great energy.”
Monmouth (14-5) out-shot Rider 22-8.
Rider sophomore goalkeeper Bethany-May Howard (Glastonbury, England/Bridgwater College) made nine saves. “When you have a 'keeper like Beth in goal you know you have a chance to win,” Hounsome said.
“It was a crazy game,” said Howard, a Second Team All-MAAC keeper this year after making the MAAC All-Rookie team last year. “We got a great team performance tonight. Monmouth is a great team. There is a reason why they finished in first place. Great teams win regular season titles but in an individual game like tonight it is anyone's game.”
The 12 victories ties the program record for wins in a season, set in 2004.
This will be Rider's third trip to the MAAC Championship Game. Rider lost to the top seed, Loyola, 2-0 in the 2004 Title Game, and lost to the second seeded Loyola Greyhounds 3-0 in the 2002 Title Game.
Fairfield tied Niagara 1-1 and advanced to the finals by winning the shoot-out. “Fairfield is the team we wanted to face,” Hounsome said. Rider lost 1-0 at Fairfield on September 27. “We played Fairfield our first conference game this year,” Howard remembered, “and we lost 1-0 but we dominated play, we just couldn't find the back of the net. We know if we go out and play the same way we played tonight or against Fairfield the first time we can get the win.”
“That game (at Fairfield this year)," Hounsome said, "was probably our best performance in seven years.”
Until tonight.
And they call it puppy love. Oh, I guess they'll never know. How a young heart really feels.
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