LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ – The Rider University women's lacrosse team took down Canisius in a high-scoring contest Saturday afternoon, 16-12. The Broncs improve to 5-9 on the season, and 1-5 in MAAC play. The Golden Griffins fall to 5-9 overall and 2-4 in league contests.
 
Down 1-0 early, the Broncs when on a 5-1 run, getting two goals each from Katie Walsh (Marlton, NJ/Camden Catholic[FDU-Florham]) and Elena Bontatibus (Simsbury, CT/Simsbury) with a tally added by Elizabeth Shean (Seal Beach, CA/Los Alamitos) helping Rider to the early lead. The Golden Griffins would recover with back-to-back goals, trimming the Rider lead to just 5-4 after the opening quarter.
 
With Rider up 6-5, the Broncs closed out the half with another 5-1 run. Toni Gismondi (West Deptford, NJ/West Deptford[VCU]) and Selena Carrington (Toms River, NJ/Toms River North [Rutgers]) kicked off the rally with Walsh, Carrington, and Anna Devlin (Marmora, NJ/Ocean City[TCNJ]) capping the run.
 
With the Broncs holding an 11-7 lead, Gismondi scored, then Walsh scored back-to-back goals, extending the lead to 14-7. Four-straight goals by Canisius trimmed the lead to 14-11, but the Rider defense held strong allowing just a single goal over the final 12:45 to secure the win.
 
Quotes & Notes
"We're excited. This is something we got close to, but haven't pulled off the last couple games. This is one of the first games in a while that our draw, our goalie, our offense, our defense had really good long moments of all playing at the same level. We're very dangerous when that happens."
 
"Both goalies have had amazing ups this season, and both goalies have been down this season. Towards the end of the half, Jamie settled in and got a couple saves and we said we'd see how this goes for her. She had some ups and downs, but what I'm proud of is she reset herself each time and would get the next save." – Head Coach Evan Mager
 
"We haven't been playing quite like ourselves the past few games, so we really focused on the things we're good at, play our game, and not worry about what the other team is doing. We put in the extra work this week, had a mental reset, and just had the confidence in ourselves to be successful." – Senior Draw Specialist Marissa Ross
 
"Their defense just really played into the strengths of our offense. We focused heavy on the free position and getting a good angle. If you're getting them consistently, you're able to see what the goalie likes and doesn't like." – Sophomore Attack Elena Bontatibus
 
- The Broncs even the all-time series at 1-1.
- Jamie Kubach (Philadelphia, PA/William Penn Charter[FDU-Florham]) got the start in net, playing all 60 minutes, making a season-high 10 saves to earn the win.
- Walsh scored five goals, giving her nine on the season and 16 as a Bronc.
- Bontatibus recorded her second hat trick of the season and fourth of her career, scoring four times in the game.
 
Broncs By The Numbers
- Rider finished with a 34-27 advantage in shots, including a 24-22 edge in shots on goal.
- The Broncs had an 18-16 edge in ground balls. Marybeth Smith (Macungie, PA/Emmaus [La Salle]) led Rider with three.
- Rider claimed a 20-12 edge in draw controls. Walsh led Rider with 10. Marissa Ross (Reisterstown, MD/Beth Tfiloh[FDU-Florham]) added eight.
- Bontatibus had a career-high four assists in the victory, tying a program single-game record.
 
Up Next
Rider hits the road to face Manhattan Wednesday. Game time is set for 3 p.m.