LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ – The Rider University women's lacrosse team secured a crucial win in their quest to reach the MAAC Tournament, defeating Quinnipiac, 16-13, Saturday afternoon on Ben Cohen Field. The Broncs close out the regular season at 7-9 overall, and 3-5 in MAAC play. The Bobcats wrap up the regular season at 9-7 overall and 4-4 in league contests.
 
The Broncs jumped out to a lead early, with Elena Bontatibus (Simsbury, CT/Simsbury) and Selena Carrington (Toms River, NJ/Toms River North [Rutgers]) getting the Broncs out to a 2-0 lead. Up 3-2, the Broncs would go on a 3-0 run that closed out the first quarter and opened the second. Katie Walsh (Marlton, NJ/Camden Catholic[FDU-Florham]), Bontatibus and Carrington extended the lead to 6-2. With Rider leading 7-3, the Bobcats would close out the half with a 3-0 run to go into the break trailing just 7-6.
 
Out of the break, the teams would swap goals with Carrington, Elizabeth Shean (Seal Beach, CA/Los Alamitos), and Toni Gismondi (West Deptford, NJ/West Deptford[VCU]) all keeping the Broncs in front. The Bobcats would get back-to-back goals late in the third quarter to tie the game 10-10, but Rider would quickly answer with three-straight goals off the sticks of Shean, Walsh, and Gismondi. The Bobcats would not go quietly, closing to within one at 14-13 with 6:24 to play, before Bontatibus and Anna Devlin (Marmora, NJ/Ocean City[TCNJ]) closed out the scoring with a pair of goals and the Broncs played strong defense down the stretch to secure the victory.
 
Quotes & Notes
"We're a funky group, but I know we always want to come and play. There's zero doubt we'll show up and it's a mindset from the first draw. When we went up 2-0, I knew how badly they wanted it. If you look at Quinnipiac, they have a ton of games they won by one, they fight at the the end of quarters, so we knew no matter what the score was, it was a game that wasn't going to end until it was actually over."
 
"There's always so much going on and I wake up and I'm focused on the game. But at the same time, this was the largest crowd we've had the whole year. You can sense that feeling from the fans. You can sense it from the girls and that support system. My hope is if we get in, this group continues to travel and see our senior through to the end."
 
"We've been in win or go home mode the last three games. We knew when we got that first one against Canisius, that if we didn't get that, that was pretty much it. Luckily, we have seniors with playoff experience and conference championship experience, and I think experience is the most important thing." – Head Coach Evan Mager
 
"There was definitely a sense of pressure, It was senior day and everyone was really motivated to win for the seniors and to be able to continue playing next week. Honestly, having everyone here made it a lot easier and it made it more fun to play because you're putting on entertainment for the crowd." – Graduate Student Attack Anna Devlin
 
"We were in this situation last year, and it hurt all of us not being able to go [to the playoffs] because as a first-year program we wanted to make a statement. So this year, we know we deserve to be in the playoffs, and we want to put ourselves in the best position to be there." – Senior Draw Specialist Marissa Ross
 
- The Broncs even the all-time series 1-1.
- Prior to the game, the team honored its outgoing senior class of Brynn Levins (Haddon Township, NJ/Camden Catholic [FDU-Florham]), Cali Schwerdtfeger (Crownsville, MD/Indian Creek[FDU-Florham]), Emma Barborak (Lakeville, MN/Gentry Academy[FDU-Florham]), Marissa Ross (Reisterstown, MD/Beth Tfiloh[FDU-Florham), Jamie Kubach (Philadelphia, PA/William Penn Charter[FDU-Florham]), Devlin, Gismondi, Carrington, and Walsh.
- Jamie Kubach (Philadelphia, PA/William Penn Charter[FDU-Florham]) got the start in net, playing all 60 minutes, tying a career-high with 12 saves to earn the win.
- Walsh led the Broncs with four goals for her 10^th hat trick of the season, and her 17^th as Bronc. Walsh also recorded her 100^th draw control of the season in the contest.
- Bontatibus recorded her fourth hat trick of the season and sixth of her career, scoring three times in the game.
- Carrington added three goals for her eighth hat trick of the year and 15^th as a Bronc.
 
Broncs By The Numbers
- Both teams finished with 31 shots and Quinnipiac held a 25-24 edge in shots on goal.
- The Broncs held a 16-12 edge in ground balls. Kubach led Rider with four and Danika Sedivy (Centennial, CO/Heritage[St. Bonaventure]) added three.
- Rider claimed a 22-9 advantage on the draw circle. Marissa Ross (Reisterstown, MD/Beth Tfiloh[FDU-Florham]) had 12 to lead the Broncs. Walsh added eight.
 
Up Next
Rider awaits the results of other games before knowing if the Broncs qualified for the MAAC Tournament.