Box Score Women's College Soccer
Rider University 1, Fairfield University 0 (OT)
LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ—It would be hard to have a better home season than the Rider women's soccer team had this year.
Six games, six wins, six shutouts.
The Broncs defeated Fairfield in a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference overtime game Saturday afternoon. “Winning an overtime game this time of year is probably better, it gives you more character,” said Rider head coach Drayson Hounsome. “Real happy with the result.”
With the win, Rider finishes the regular season unscored upon and a best-ever 6-0 at home. “That's a perfect record,” Hounsome said. “It's a shame we didn't play 12 home games this season.”
Rider was 6-0-1 at home in 2013. Rider won a best-ever seven home games (7-2) in 2004.
Rider (9-5-1, 6-2-1 MAAC) got the lone goal of the game just 3:27 into overtime when junior Priscilla Santos (Glendora, Calif./Glendora) won a loose ball, found sophomore Ellie Smith (Norwich, England/Norwich City) who made a perfect pass to freshman Kourtney Cunningham (Whitehall, PA/Whitehall). Cunningham scored from in close for the Golden Goal.
“Kourtney is doing really well,” Hounsome said. “She is super composed and one of our better finishers. We know once she is in the position she was in today she is going to score.”
“Ellie had her back to the goal and I made a run outside and she found me with a through ball and then I finished it in the right corner,” said Cunningham, who is seventh in the MAAC in points with a team-high 15. “I wasn't even expecting to start this year let alone lead the team in points,” Cunningham said.
Rider out-shot Fairfield (4-10-4, 1-5-3 MAAC) 16-7, including 12-3 after the first half. “The first half we did not really create much,” Hounsome said, “but we changed things up at half time and felt we controlled things after that.”
Rider junior goalkeeper Bethany-May Howard (Glastonbury, England/Bridgwater College) made six saves for the shutout, her eighth of the season and the ninth shutout for Rider. It was the 14th shutout for Howard in two seasons, a new Rider career record.
Howard leads the MAAC and is 16th in the nation in saves per game (6.64) and is 11th in the nation in save percentage (.886).
The game was Senior Day for Rider's lone senior Tara Ballay (Delran, NJ/Delran). “Arguably one of the best players in Rider history,” Hounsome said of his lone senior. “She is definitely the most decorated. We will certainly miss her. She is not replaceable.”
The MAAC Preseason Player of the Year, Ballay has played in 50 games in her Rider career and the Broncs are 30-13-7 in those games. Ballay's career has been highlighted by earning Academic All-American, All-East Region, ECAC All-Star, MAAC Player of the Year and MAAC Rookie of the Year honors. “I haven't really looked back on my career yet, since it is still going on,” Ballay said, “but today was one of the highlights.”
In the 2015 MAAC Championship Game, Rider and Fairfield tied 1-1 and the Broncs advanced to the NCAA Tournament by winning the MAAC Title on a 5-4 shootout. “We knew Fairfield was going to come here playing hard after what happened last year in the MAAC finals,” Cunningham said. “We knew we had to play hard today.”
Rider lost 1-0 at Fairfield during the regular season last year in what was considered one of the best games Rider has played in years.
Fairfield came to Rider for Senior Day in 2013 and the Broncs won 1-0. “Overtime win, just like two years ago,” Ballay said. “It worked out.”
The Stags lead the all-time series with Rider 16-5-1.
Rider closes out the regular season Wednesday at Canisius. The first round of the MAAC Championship Tournament (#6 at #3, #5 at #4) is October 31. “We knew we had to get a win today to keep our hopes alive for the first round bye,” Cunningham said.
The semifinals and finals are November 6-8 at regular season champion Monmouth.
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