College Field Hockey
Rider University 3, Saint Francis (Pa.) 0

LAWRENCEVILLE—The Rider University field hockey team won 3-0 against Saint Francis (Pa.) on Friday afternoon on Ben Cohen Field in a non-conference game.

“I thought it was a really well played game by both teams,” said head coach Lori Hussong.  “Saint Francis is such a tough opponent and they always come prepared and ready to play.  We stepped it up and the defensive effort was in shutdown mode.”

Rider (4-4) senior Carlie Spaeder took a 60 yard pass from junior Melissa Cunningham and went the length of the field to score her fourth of the season and give the Broncs a 1-0 lead, exactly seven minutes into the contest.

“Carlie crossing the field and getting the ball is one of the prettiest things to see,” Hussong said.  “A lot of teams can't keep up to her.  Having her cash in and give us the early lead was big.”

“I don't remember much,” Spaeder said about her goal.  “Melissa gave me a great pass.  I didn't even know I was that far behind the defense.  I'm happy that we got some momentum in the games before conference play.”

Making her first collegiate start, freshman goalie Grace Huff made an acrobatic diving save, moving from post to post, 12:36 into the contest to preserve the Bronc lead and Rider led 1-0 at intermission.

“It was great to see our goalie perform like we know she can,” Hussong said.  “That save was the play of the game.  They thought it was in and so did we and Saint Francis had the momentum at that point and it was just a big save.  It was huge for our moral and spirit.”

“Grace is the most valuable player of the game,” said Spaeder.  “We are so lucky that she was able to save that ball.  She really fought the whole game and I'm very proud of her.  I know she will keep getting better.”

“Working with a lead, that save was very important because in past games, when we give up a quick goal, we then get down and for us to get an early lead and hold it, that was big," said Huff.

Huff made three saves in the contest for her second win of the season and she has not allowed a goal in 134:47 of play so far this season.

Freshman Daane Koch scored her team-leading fifth goal of the season, cleaning up a Spaeder rebound after a Saint Francis defensive save to give the Broncs a 2-0 lead 3:21 into the second half.  

Koch, who had an assist in Rider's last game at La Salle, is a three-time Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Rookie of the Week honoree and has hit the scoresheet five games in a row.

Junior Allison Baligian scored her third goal of the season, taking a short pass in front of the goal from sophomore Jessica Randazzo with 17:43 left in the game for the final score.

Baligian also had a penalty stroke opportunity with 6:19 left in the game but was denied by Red Flash goalie Lizzie Dyer who was credited with 10 saves in the contest.

Rider has a 17-6 advantage in shots with the Red Flash holding an 8-6 penalty corner advantage.

Rider has won 16 of 18 games all-time against the Red Flash.  Saint Francis had won the last two meetings in a row, including last season when the Broncs lost 3-0 on September 20, 2015 in Loretto, Pennsylvania.

Rider has won two straight games.

The Broncs are 3-0 this season and Rider won five of six games on Ben Cohen Field in 2015.  Rider is 44-6 (.880) all-time on the lighted campus turf field facility that opened in the fall of 2010.

Rider travels to Colgate for a non-conference game at noon on Sunday.

-RU-