Women's College Soccer

Rider University 1, NJIT 0

NEWARK, NJ— NJIT competes in the Atlantic Sun Conference. A quick look at the Highlanders' schedule and one might think they played in the MAAC.

Rider was NJIT's sixth MAAC opponent this season. “They've played quite a few MAAC teams and beat a few,” said Rider head coach Drayson Hounsome.

So it was only fitting that NJIT was Rider's final non-conference opponent of the regular season.

Against MAAC team this year NJIT is 2-4, defeating Saint Peter's and Iona while losing to Monmouth, Manhattan and Canisius.

“Let's hope when we play the real MAAC teams we play a bit better in the first half,” Hounsome said.

The shorthanded Broncs, playing their third game in seven days with a handful of starters on the sidelines with injuries, defeated New Jersey Institute of Technology Sunday afternoon after a slow start.

For Rider (3-3) sophomore Shannon Kelly (Mineola, N.Y. /Kellenberg Memorial) scored her first collegiate goal on an assist from junior Hollie Kelsh (Lancashire, England/Sandbach) with 20 minutes left in the game.

“Hollie was the best player on the pitch by a mile,” Hounsome said.  “She was really good. She created things for other people. She kept possession and laid a lobby ball to Shannon who was running through into the 18 and put it into the far corner.  It was a well worked goal.”

Rider junior Bethany-May Howard (Glastonbury, England/Bridgwater College) made 10 saves for the shutout, her second of the week and her eighth in the last two seasons. “In the first half when we weren't playing that well Beth made two or three really good saves to keep us in it,” Hounsome said.  'Without Beth playing the way she does we could have been down a goal or two at halftime.”

NJIT (2-5) out-shot Rider 17-14, including 9-5 in the first half, and NJIT led 10-7 in shots on goal. “We didn't have a great first half,” Hounsome said.  “We tidied things up in the second half and controlled the last 45 minutes. We really looked quite dominating with some really good chances. It was a tale of two halves. We were average in the first half and decent in the second half.”'

NJIT came into the game on a three-game losing streak, including a 1-0 loss at Hartford on an own goal on September 10 and a 1-0 overtime loss at Canisius on September 6.

Rider has now won two in a row for the first time this season.

The Broncs snapped a three-game losing streak with a win over Delaware State in the home opener Wednesday.

Rider and NJIT have now met seven times since the series began in 2009 with the Broncs holding a 5-2 advantage. Rider defeated NJIT 2-1 in overtime last season and lost 2-0 here in Newark in 2013. “It was good to get a clean sheet against them today after the last two games we played them,” Hounsome said.

Rider begins MAAC play at Quinnipiac Saturday. “I think we are ready for Quinnipiac,” Hounsome said.  “With just 14 (healthy) players it would not appear like we are ready but we will give it a go. Today we played hard and I am sure they will play hard again on Saturday.”

This time, against a real MAAC team.

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