Washington, DC – Senior tri-captain Allison Baligian (Flemington, NJ/Hunterdon Central) scored two goals and freshman goalkeeper Lena Vandam (Brasschaat, Belgium) posted her first career shutout as the Rider University field hockey team blanked Georgetown, 3-0, on Friday afternoon at Cooper Field.

The Broncs (2-0) scored their fourth straight win against the Hoyas (2-1) and their third in as many seasons.

Baligian, who opened the season with a goal and an assist in a win on Sunday, remained hot for Rider and opened the scoring just over 10 and a half minutes into the contest.

Vandam kept the Broncs in lead throughout the first half and she made six saves during the opening 35 minutes.

Late in the second half, Jessica Randazzo (Media, PA/Cardinal O'Hara) gave the guests some breathing room with her second marker of the year. With less than 10 minutes remaining in regulation, she converted a shot off a deflection on a penalty corner to give Rider a 2-0 edge.

Baligian capped the scoring with her third tally of the fall eight minutes after Randazzo's goal. Baligian scored on a penalty shot with 1:10 left on the clock.

Notes & Quotes
"We are really proud of everyone's effort today," Rider Head Coach Lori Hussong said. "Overall we were one step off the ball today, but our kids dug down deep and found a way to get it done."

"Lena was unbelievable today," Hussong added. "She along with our penalty corner team kept us in the game. Lena played like a veteran keeper and is poised and ready for any challenge that comes her way. She has a nose for finding the ball like we've never seen."

"We also had great efforts from Allison Baligian and Shannon Hughes," Hussong added. "They came up with big plays in key moments that gave us the lift when we needed it most."

- Rider is now 6-6 all-time against Georgetown. The Broncs have not lost to the Hoyas since 2003.
- The shutout was the first for Rider since topping Siena, 4-0, on senior night (Oct. 28) in 2016. In total, the Broncs blanked their opponents six times last fall.
- Georgetown held a 16-14 advantage in shots.
- The Hoyas also held an 11-10 advantage in penalty corners.

Broncs by the Numbers
- Baligian has now scored three goals in the team's first two games. She leads the Broncs with seven points (3 goals and one assist).
- Baligian, a Preseason All-MAAC honoree, now has 30 career goals and 63 points.
- The game-winning goal was the seventh of Baligian's career and her first since 2015.
- Through two games, the Broncs have had two players (Baligian and Eline De Jong) register multi-goal games.
- Randazzo's goal was her second in as many games.  In her career, Randazzo has started 39 of a possible 40 games for the Broncs.
- The 10 saves were a new career-high for Vandam as she made three saves in her collegiate debut against Davidson. Vandam is 2-0 on the year with a 0.53 goals-against average and a .929 save percentage.
- Melissa Cunningham's assist on Randazzo's goal was her first of the season and the 13th of her career.

Up Next
Rider returns to action on Tuesday, September 5, traveling to play regional foe Drexel at 7:00 pm at Buckley Field. The Broncs and Dragons are meeting for the first time since 2015 and the 24th time overall. Drexel leads the all-time series 12-9-2. To follow live stats and watch live during the game, check out the field hockey schedule page on GoBroncs.com.