Women's College Soccer

Marist College 1, Rider University 0 (OT)

LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ—Overtime has been cruel to Rider all season, but never as cruel as Saturday night.

The Rider University women's soccer team, the third seed, lost in overtime to the sixth seed, Marist College, in the first round of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Championship Tournament Saturday night.

“Give credit to Marist,” said Rider head coach Drayson Hounsome.  “They were a little bit stronger than us and it was probably a fair result tonight.”

The 2016 season has come to end for Rider (9-6-3, 6-3-1 MAAC). The Broncs were 1-3-3 in overtime games this year, 8-3 in games that were just 90 minutes long. “I'm pushing to get rid of overtime,” Hounsome said. “If it comes up for a vote there are other coaches who are pushing to get rid of it as well, so maybe it will become a thing of the past.”

Marist (10-8-1, 5-4-1 MAAC) scored just 1:06 into overtime off of a turnover in the goal box. “Always a brutal way to end a season, in overtime,” Hounsome said.

Marist also defeated the Broncs in overtime on October 15 off of a turnover in the box, both goals by Brianna Robinson.

Marist out-shot Rider 14-6. Both teams had four corner kicks.

“Heather (senior Heather Maierle of Wantagh, N.Y./Friends Academy) was great tonight,” Hounsome said.  “She made some real important tackles.”

Rider senior goalkeeper Bethany-May Howard (Glastonbury, England/Bridgwater College) made four saves, including a point blank save with 25 minutes left in the first half on a shot from 15 yards out and another with 12 minutes left in the second half. “Beth had some really big saves,” Hounsome said. “She kept us in it.”

The Broncs defeated Marist in the 2013 MAAC playoffs.

The two teams have now met 22 times, with the Red Foxes holding a 14-7-1 advantage.

Marist will advance to the MAAC semifinals November 4 at top seed and tournament host Monmouth. Siena is the second seed. #4 Quinnipiac defeated #5 Canisius 3-0 Saturday and is the fourth team in the semifinals.

The Broncs reached the MAAC semifinals the last three years and eight times in the last 16 years. Rider won the MAAC Championship Tournament in 2014, advancing to the NCAA Championship Tournament for the first time.  2014 was the third time Rider reached the MAAC Title Game (2004, 2002).

Rider graduates eight seniors from the 2016 squad, including five who started Saturday night. Over the previous three years Rider was 6-2-5 in overtime games, but in 2016, overtime was cruel to the Broncs.

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