LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ – Indy Zoontjens (Hilversum, Netherlands/Alberdingk Thijm College) scored twice, and the Rider University field hockey team got a key win Friday night, defeating preseason conference favorite Fairfield, 3-1, on Ben Cohen Field. The Broncs improve to 6-5 on the season, and even their record in the NEC at 1-1. The Stags drop to 4-7 on the year, and are also 1-1 in conference play.
 
The Broncs got on the board first on a penalty corner. Rider made the insert to Abby Hartwell (Monroeville, NJ/Delsea Regional), who attempted a lift shot that was saved. The rebound fell on to the stick of Semra Said (Mannheim, Germany/Feudenheim Gymnasium Mannheim). Said made a pass to Zoontjens, who fired a rocket that found the back of the net.
 
The Stags countered on a corner of their own. Fairfield fired off a flurry of shots on the corner and eventually got one by the Broncs defense to even the score at one at the end of the first quarter.
 
Early in the second quarter, the Broncs scored off a corner again. Again it was Zoontjens, this time maneuvering through a group of Stags before firing another shot by the Fairfield goalie.
 
The score remained 2-1 into the fourth. That's when Maeve Riehman (Norristown, PA/Archbishop Carroll) drove down the right side and made a centering pass to Said. Said hit a reverse chip that tucked itself under the crossbar and inside the left post for the key insurance goal that put the game away.

Quotes & Notes
"There's no room for error right now since we lost to Saint Francis. Everyone knows that our backs are up a little bit to the wall. This was a really good start to get back in the right direction, but every game that we play in the NEC is going to be a challenge because there is nobody that's a slacking team."
 
"The last few games have been phenomenal for [Kaitlyn Tomas], and we hope she's going to keep springboarding forward."
 
"We are super young, so you're going to see us make mistakes that are uncharacteristic of a more experienced team. But each game, they're getting more momentum, more confidence." – Head Coach Lori Hussong
 
"It was a bit stressful, because it was an important game. The first goal took a little bit of the pressure off."
 
"I think we can only go up from now. We had a big loss a week ago, and now we have back-to-back big wins."
 
"I'm more involved in the corners and I'm mostly scoring off the corners. So I think that explains it." – Freshman midfielder Indy Zoontjens
 
"I believed in my team, and I knew that if I got their backs, they would have mine. I stepped up and did my job, because they were playing so great in front of me."
 
"There's no easy goals, and this is our house. You don't lose on this field. The last time I played Fairfield on this turf we shut them down, and I just wanted to do that again."
 
"That rivalry, between Fairfield and Rider, it's just something that you always have a fire in your stomach. Beating American and now Fairfield, to us, we think we can do everything." – Senior Goalie Kaitlyn Tomas
 
- Rider leads the all-time series 18-11, and the Broncs got revenge on a pair of losses from a season ago.
- Kaitlyn Tomas (Campbellville, Ontario/Appleby College) made the start in net, making five save to earn the win.
- Zoontjens had the second multi-goal game of her career, and now has seven goals on the season.
- Said has scored a goal is two-straight games.
- Kiki van Ommeren (Amsterdam, Netherlands/Montessori Lyceum Amsterdam), Amanda Zambrana (Garwood, NJ/Arthur L. Johnson), Meg Normile (New Egypt, NJ/New Egypt), Lyric Scott (Union, NJ/Union), Riehman, and Sierra Giuliano (Franklinville, NJ/Delsea Regional) played all 60 minutes in front of Tomas.
- Friday's game was the Broncs' annual Play for Cathy game in memory of its beloved team mentor Cathy Carter Romero, Rider's former Director of Publications, who passed away in January of 2015 after a courageous 13-year battle against breast cancer. The team honored Cathy's memory as well as current senior, Hannah Hartwell (Monroeville, NJ/Delsea Regional), a cancer survivor, in a pregame ceremony.

Broncs By The Numbers
- Rider was outshot by Fairfield 10-8, including a 6-5 edge for the Stags in shots on goal.
- Rider earned six corners, while the Stags earned 14.
- Zoontjens has recorded a point in six-straight games.
 
Up Next
- The Broncs hit the road for a conference game against Sacred Heart. The game, held on the campus of Yale University will begin at 5 p.m. on Sunday.