Box Score Women's College Soccer-MAAC Semifinals
Manhattan Jaspers 3, Rider Broncs 1
WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ—The Rider University women's soccer season came to an end Friday night in the semifinals of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Championship Tournament.
Despite doing just about everything they set out to do, the fourth seeded Broncs lost to the second seed, Manhattan. “We followed an offensive game plan against a team that does not give up many goals,” said Rider head coach Drayson Hounsome. “We got off 24 shots. Their keeper made 15 saves. She has proven she is the best goalkeeper in the conference.”
Manhattan (11-4-3, 6-1-3 MAAC) took a 3-0 lead before the Broncs got on the board.
The defending MAAC Champion, Rider (10-7-1, 6-3-1 MAAC) got a goal from senior Tara Ballay (Delran, NJ/Delran) with 5:06 left to play. “She gave us hope in the final five minutes,” Hounsome said.
For Ballay, it was her 20th career goal and her 45th career point in her 53rd and final game. Ballay graduates ranked sixth in goals and points at Rider. “Hard work, hard work, hard work,” Hounsome said to explain Ballay. “Her determination and her desire is what made her so great. She took the talent she had and ran with it. And when your best player out-works everybody, everyone else has to pick up their game. That is what she did for this program.”
Manhattan took a 1-0 lead with 9:13 left in the first half, and went up 2-0 with 36 minutes left in the second half. The Jaspers put the game away by taking a 3-0 lead with 31 minutes left to play. “Once we are chasing the game things open up and we get caught on the counter attack.”
Rider out-shot Manhattan 24-16 and had 10 corners to just one for Manhattan. Manhattan's Kristen Skonieczny, the First Team All-MAAC goalkeeper, made a career-high 15 saves.
Rider junior Bethany-May Howard (Glastonbury, England/Bridgwater College), the Second Team All-MAAC goalkeeper made nine saves.
Rider advanced to the semifinals for the third consecutive year and seventh time in the last 15 years by defeating the fifth seed, Niagara, 4-1 in the First Round Saturday evening.
Rider entered the semifinals second in the MAAC in goals scored and second best in goals allowed this year.
“The players defended their title as well as they could,” Hounsome said, “they defended it until the last minute.”
This season Rider tied Manhattan 0-0 on October 17 in Riverdale, NY. “Skonieczny did not have to make a save in that game,” Hounsome said. “We followed the offensive plan tonight really well. We scored a goal, but defensively we slipped up a bit.”
The all-time series with Manhattan is now tied at 8-8-4. Manhattan had not defeated Rider since the 2009 MAAC Tournament.
This was Rider's tenth MAAC Championship Tournament in the 19 years in the conference.
Rider is 9-8-2 in MAAC Tournament play.
Freshman Kourtney Cunningham (Whitehall, Pa./Whitehall) and sophomore Ellie Smith (Norwich, England/Norwich City) were named to the MAAC All-Tournament team.
The MAAC Championship Game is Sunday at 3pm. Manhattan will play the sixth seed, Siena, who upset top seeded Monmouth 2-1 on Friday.
Rider has reached the MAAC Title Game three times (2002, 2004, 2014), winning it once. “We only graduate one senior this year so we hope to get back to the title Game next year and back to the NCAA Tournament,” Hounsome said.
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