Box Score Women's College Soccer
Monmouth University 6, Rider University 0
LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ— It had all the makings of a classic paradox, when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object. Monmouth entered the game leading the conference in goals. Rider entered the game having allowed the fewest goals in the conference.
When all was said and done, the unstoppable force, Monmouth, was not stoppable.
The first place Rider University women's soccer team lost to the preseason favorite Monmouth University squad Wednesday night in a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference game.
“Monmouth is very good,” said Rider head coach Drayson Hounsome. “They were very good tonight, powerful, too strong for us. We did not play particularly bad, they were just better than us.”
The hOURglass Rivalry game was also a Think Pink Fight Against Breast Cancer Night, in association with Zeta Tau Alpha.
“We played hard, we certainly gave it a good go,” Hounsome said. “So it wasn't that we played bad, it just wasn't at a high enough level to match what Monmouth did tonight.”
Monmouth (7-4-1, 4-0 MAAC) took a 1-0 lead in just the fifth minute of play on a header goal off of a corner kick. The Hawks took a 2-0 lead in the 17th minute of play. Monmouth took a 3-0 lead in the fifth minute of the second half and went up 4-0 in the 54th minute. The Hawks scored in the 68th minute to make it 5-0.
The Hawks scored in the 86th minute for the final score.
“They are obviously a good team,” Hounsome said. “When a good team plays well, like they did tonight, it is very hard to match.”
Monmouth out-shot Rider 22-2, including 9-0 in the first half.
Last year Rider lost 2-1 at Monmouth. The Hawks lead the all-time series 11-3-3.
Monmouth was the 2015 MAAC regular season champion.
Rider was the 2014 MAAC Tournament Champion, after defeating top seeded and tournament host Monmouth in the semifinals.
Monmouth leads the MAAC with 35 goals in 12 games.
The Broncs allowed the fewest goals in the MAAC, giving up just nine in the first 11 games before Wednesday.
Rider senior goalkeeper Bethany-May Howard (Glastonbury, England/Bridgwater College) allowed four goals and made four saves.
Rider plays a MAAC game at Siena Saturday. “We are still in the hunt,” Hounsome said. “We have more points (12) than we've ever had at this point in the season so we're looking to get three more on Saturday. If we can do that this game will be long forgotten.”
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