STATEN ISLAND, NY – Senior Tess Coorens (Leiden, Netherlands/Visser'T Hooft Lyceum) and sophomore Tess van Ommeren (Amsterdam, Netherlands/Sint Nicolaas Lyceum) both registered a goal and an assist to lead the second-seeded Rider University field hockey team past No. 3 LIU, 3-0, on Friday afternoon in the semifinals of the Northeast Conference (NEC) Tournament.
 
The Broncs (13-6) advance to the NEC Championship Game on Sunday, November 10, against top-seeded Fairfield. Rider will be playing in its 12th NEC title game and the Broncs are seeking their seventh NEC Championship.
 
Rider came charging out of the gates as van Ommeren scored just 39 seconds into the game. Off a corner, Coorens played the ball to van Ommeren who beat the Shark goalkeeper.
 
The first-minute strike would be the only tally of the first half as Rider took a 1-0 edge into halftime.
 
In the third quarter, Rider stretched its lead to 2-0 thanks to Coorens converting a penalty stroke. Late in the third frame, LIU had a chance to cut the deficit to just one with a penalty stroke of their own.
 
Bronc junior goalkeeper Lena Vandam (Brasschaat, Belgium) had other ideas as she made a diving save to keep the Rider advantage at 2-0.
 
The Broncs added another insurance goal in the fourth quarter as junior Kaitlyn Flemming (Bellmawr, NJ/Triton Regional High School) scored off a corner.
 
That would be all the help Vandam needed as she turned aside both shots she faced to earn her third shutout of the year.
 
NOTES & QUOTES
"I think that first goal was so important. We talked about it in the locker room before the game that the team that scores early is going to have the best advantage. We came out on fire to get that one in. We had to play really well to earn those second and third goals." ­– Rider Head Coach Lori Hussong
 
- Rider has now won back-to-back games against LIU.
- The Broncs scored three or more goals for the 10th time this season.
- Rider is now 12-2 all-time in the NEC Semifinals.
- The 13 wins for the Broncs are the most for the team since they went 15-6 in 2012.
- The Broncs outshot the Sharks, 13-3.
- Rider took five penalty corners and LIU had four.
 
BRONCS BY THE NUMBERS
- All three of Vandam's shutouts this season have come against conference opponents. It was the 12th shutout of her career.
- Tess van Ommeren now has a career-high six goals to go along with six assists this season. She scored the game-winning goal in both of Rider's wins against LIU this year.
- Tess Coorens scored her fourth goal of the year. She has converted two penalty strokes this season and four in her career.
- Kaitlyn Flemming also had her fourth goal of the season. Three of her four goals this autumn have come against conference opponents.
 
UP NEXT
Rider squares off with No. 1 and nationally-ranked Fairfield on Sunday at noon at Wagner's field hockey complex. The Broncs are looking to avenge an overtime setback to the Stags earlier this fall.