College Field Hockey
Rider University 4, Towson University 2

LAWRENCEVILLE—Trailing 2-1 just 21 minutes into the game, the Rider University field hockey team roared back with three unanswered goals, two by sophomore Melissa Cunningham (Oaklyn/Collingswood) in a 4-2, non-conference win over Towson University on Ben Cohen Field Friday evening.

“I think we got off to a very slow start,” said head coach Lori Hussong.  “Towson came out strong and put pressure on us.  The second half we came out with more energy and had some nice play in the midfield and that created scoring opportunities.”

Senior Rachel Ippolite (Woolwich Twp./Kingsway Regional) scored her second goal of the season, converting a pass from junior Carlota Alsina (Barcelona, Spain) to tie the game 2-2, just 1:52 into the second half.

Coming off an ACL injury from two years ago that is only now allowing her to show her athleticism, Cunningham scored her first goal in almost a year to give Rider (6-1) a 3-2 lead with 17:02 left in the game tipping in a pass from Alsina on a penalty corner.

“Melissa is gaining more confidence and is playing like the player that we knew she would be before the injury,” Hussong said.  “She is doing well now but she can still do even better.  We are happy things are coming around for her.”

“We all played really intense,” Cunningham said.  “We were down in the second half and had to pick it up.  Collectively as a team we got it done.”

Just over 10 minutes later, Cunningham again teamed up with Alsina on a penalty corner to give the Broncs an insurance goal with 6:18 remaining in the contest. 

“Even though we were down, we told ourselves we needed to play better,” Cunningham said about the adjustment at halftime.  “It feels really good to help the offense.  I could not have done it without the corners being earned first.  We all worked together to get the ball in the cage.”

A member of the preseason All-MAAC team, Alsina tied a career-high with three assists, matching her effort against Towson on September 20, 2013, also on Ben Cohen Field.

“Tonight was one of Carlota's best games,” Hussong said.  “She had energy and wasn't trying to do too much with the ball.  She looked up the field and gave the forwards some nice through passes that they were able to cut on to and attack the goal.”

“The first half was slow and we lacked a little bit of energy,” Alsina said.  “Once we tied the game, we went for it and worked together.”

Sophomore goalie Hannah Isaacs (Piscataway) played the final 54 minutes and picked up the win as the Bronc defense was credited with two defensive saves with her between the pipes.

Starting goalie, senior Joelle Prettyman (Newark, Del./St. Mark's) allowed one goal in 15:47 of play.

Rider freshman Jessica Randazzo (Media, Pa./Cardinal O'Hara) scored her first career goal, converting from the top of the circle, 10:58 into the game to give the Broncs a 1-0 lead.

Towson (1-6) responded with back to back goals over the next 10 minutes to take a 2-1 lead into intermission.

“I told the team to stop thinking and just play,” Hussong said about the conversation with her squad at the break.  “The 50-50 balls were the reason we weren't doing well in the opening half but once we started moving to the ball, that effort helped the offensive output.”

Rider out-shot the Tigers 24-7 and held a 13-3 penalty corner advantage but Towson goalie Megan Boyle kept the Tigers in the game, making eight saves with the Tiger defense also credited with two defensive saves.

“Corners have not been our strength,” Hussong said.  “We've taken extra time out of practice to work on the different pieces of the corner plays so that we are more efficient.”

Rider improved to 3-0 this season on Ben Cohen Field and 39-5 (.886) all-time on the lighted campus turf field that opened in the Fall of 2010.

Rider and Towson have met 19 times with the Broncs holding a 14-4-1 advantage.  The teams met last season in Maryland, with Rider winning 2-1 for Hussong's 200th career victory.  The teams met on Ben Cohen Field in 2013 when the Broncs won 4-0 in the home opener.

The Broncs hit the road for the next month (five games), beginning with a game in Loretto, Pennsylvania against Saint Francis (Pa.) on Sunday.

“Sunday is going to be a tough game,” Hussong added.  “We know they are going to give 100 percent and we are going to have to match that intensity to get the win.”

Rider also faces Colgate, Lock Haven, Drexel and Villanova during the road trip.

The next Bronc home game is October 16 when Rider opens Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference play against Fairfield University.

-RU-