Loudonville, NY – The Rider University field hockey team won its second straight Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) contest on Friday afternoon, topping Siena, 2-1, on the road.

The Broncs (7-6, 2-1 MAAC) won their third straight versus the Saints (0-13, 0-2 MAAC) to pick up a crucial conference victory.

Rider opened the scoring midway through the first stanza as graduate transfer Maria Madsen (Farmingdale, NJ/Howell High School/Richmond) potted her first goal as a Bronc. Madsen finished a rebound in front of the Siena cage to give the guests a 1-0 in the 15th minute.

The hosts would knot the score at one late in the first half courtesy of a strike from Stephanie Hand. The goal came on the first shot on the game for Siena with Jaycie St. John picking up the assist.

Hand's tally would cap the scoring in the first 35 minutes as the two conference foes went into the break tied at one.

Senior tri-captain Allison Baligian (Flemington, NJ/Hunterdon Central) broke through for Rider with the game-winning goal in the 55th minute off a feed from sophomore Tess Coorens (Leiden, Netherlands/Visser'T Hooft Lyceum). Baligian made it 2-1 in favor of the Broncs with the guests a player down. With a teammate serving a green card on the sidelines, she tipped a pass from Coorens into the top right corner of the cage.

In goal for the Broncs, freshman Lena Vandam (Brasschaat, Belgium) turned aside one shot to pick up her seventh victory of the fall.

Notes & Quotes
"It was good to seeMaria contribute today," Rider Head Coach Lori Hussong said. "It's been a tough year for her battling injury and we were so happy to see her get in the coring column and help us get the win."

- Rider is now 5-5 outside of Lawrenceville and 4-5 in true road games in 2017.
- Rider has now played 10 of its 13 games this year away from home.
- The Broncs lead the all-time series with Siena, 27-4.
- Rider has won 16 of the last 17 meetings with Siena.
- Rider held an 18-3 advantage in shots. It was the second game in a row the Broncs did so.  
- The Broncs had 11 shots on goal, while Siena had just two.
- The Broncs took 14 penalty corners compared to two for the Saints.
- Rider has surrendered just one goal in each of their first three MAAC games in 2017.
- Freshman Kaitlyn Flemming was named the MAAC Rookie of the Week on Tuesday. It was the second time this season that she received the honor. Heading into this weekend's slate, she led all freshman in the league in scoring with five goals.
- Freshman Lena Vandam was tabbed as the MAAC Defensive Player of the Week on Tuesday. It was her second time this fall receiving the accolade. She is one of two players and the only goalkeeper to win the award more than once in 2017.

Broncs by the Numbers
- Rider is now outscoring their opponents, 16-6, in the second half this year.
- Madsen's points were her first for the Broncs since she recorded a pair of assists in the season opener versus Davidson.
- The game-winning goal was the third of the season for Baligian. She leads the team and the conference in that category. She also has a team-best six goals and 15 points in 2017.
- The assist was the first of the season for Coorens and the fifth of her career.  
- Two of Vandam's career wins have come in conference play.
- The Broncs are now 2-5 in one-goal games this year.

Up Next
Rider returns to action on Sunday, October 15, with a home MAAC contest against Fairfield that is slated to begin at 12:00 pm. The Broncs are looking to avenge a 3-1 setback to the Stags last season in Connecticut. To follow live stats and video for the game visit the field hockey schedule page on GoBroncs.com.