LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ – The Rider University women's lacrosse team braved the rain Tuesday afternoon, coming through with a hard-fought, 12-10, victory over Monmouth. The Broncs remain unbeaten at 4-0 in their inaugural season, while the Hawks fall to 3-2.
 
Rider came out of the gates strong, as six different Broncs, Selena Carrington (Toms River, NJ/Toms River North[Rutgers]), Anna Devlin (Marmora, NJ/Ocean City[TCNJ]), Maggie Hance (Long Valley, NJ/West Morris Central), Katie Walsh (Marlton, NJ/Camden Catholic[FDU-Florham]), Toni Gismondi (West Deptford, NJ/West Deptford[VCU]), and Elena Bontatibus (Simsbury, CT/Simsbury) each scored in the first 12 minutes of the game to build a 6-0 Rider lead. The Hawks began to fight back, sandwiching a pair of goals around a Kylee Garcia (Neshanic Station, NJ/Somerville[FDU-Florham]) tally to trim the deficit to 7-2 after the first quarter.
 
The second quarter was all Monmouth, as the Hawks outscored Rider 4-0 in the frame, cutting the Rider lead to just 7-6 at the half.
 
After a slow start for both offenses in the second half, Garcia scored her second of the game off a free position, then Walsh and Hance each found the back of the cage to extend the lead back to four goals at 10-6. The Hawks countered with back-to-back goals before the quarter expired and Rider led 10-8 with 15 minutes remaining.
 
The Hawks continued to pressure the Broncs, scoring less than two minutes into the fourth to cut the lead to just 10-9. Gismondi extended the lead to two minutes later with her second tally of the game, but once again the Hawks found a counter to keep it a one-goal game. With just over five minutes remaining, Carrington drew a free position at the middle hash and buried the shot to extend the lead back to two, and the Broncs' defense held strong, forcing two turnovers and saving a shot down the stretch to secure the victory.
 
Quotes & Notes
"This was the game that would really determine what our ability is. The scary thing for us is we didn't even play four quarters, we still have the ability to play better. We did a really good job, we amped up, we worked for each other. A lot of people coming off the bench, different changes, and we did a really good job of controlling what we can control."
 
"In our last game, they were close to even with us in the draw. We knew it was important, it was important in the scout, and Katie and Anna really stepped up."
– Head coach Evan Mager
 
"Going into the game, it was nerve racking, but it's a good nerve and I was ready to go. On the draw, you just gotta look for the ball and out-hustle them. It's just a game. I want to go out there and prove them wrong, no matter how many times they say D3, the division doesn't matter." – Redshirt-Sophomore Midfielder Katie Walsh
 
"I think that we work really hard at practice, and then even today, you can see we're constantly boxing out for each other and constantly communicating on the draw. Offensively, we started moving the ball faster and relying on each other. It's good that we're very versatile." – Graduate Student Attack Anna Devlin
 
- Nicole Caldarone (Mount Arlington, NJ/Mountain Lakes) made the start in goal and played 30 minutes, making six saves and allowing six goals to earn the victory.
- Jamie Kubach (Philadelphia, PA/William Penn Charter[FDU-Florham]) played the final 30 minutes in net, making five save while allowing just four goals.
- Walsh broke her own program record with 11 draw controls in the contest.
 
Broncs By The Numbers
- Rider held a 33-30 advantage in shots and 24-21 edge in shots on goal.
- The Broncs held a 23-18 edge in ground balls led by six from Kubach.
- Rider won the draw circle 17-9 with Devlin adding six to Walsh's total.
- Carrington had a pair of caused turnovers on the defensive end.
 
Up Next
- Rider returns to action Friday when the Broncs host Oregon at 3 p.m.