Double win week for lacrosse
By Dave Green, Sarah F. Griffin and Samantha Clark
Rider lacrosse had a week of wins with a nail biting road victory at Manhattan on April 16 and a home win against Quinnipiac on April 19, sending the Broncs to the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament for the first time in program history.
Broncs get the upper hand
The matchup against the Manhattan Jaspers began with a goal from graduate student attacker Anna Devlin.
Manhattan quickly responded with the same, however redshirt junior attacker Katie Walsh followed with a goal with an assist from senior attacker Toni Gismondi, putting the Broncs on the board with two.
Walsh and freshman attacker Elizabeth Shean scored back-to-back goals to extend the lead to 4-2.
The competition continued at a back-and-forth rate, with another goal from Devlin and quick back-to-back goals by Manhattan, ending the first quarter in a 5-5 tie.
Resuming action at Ben Cohen Field, senior attacker Selena Carrington opened the second period with two goals, one with a man-up advantage, before Manhattan responded with two of their own.
Sophomore midfielder Elena Bontatibus scored the final goal of the second quarter with a successful free position shot.
The second half opened with multiple lead changes and shifts in points with a goal from Shean, two Manhattan goals and another by freshman attacker Addy Haines to tie it up 10-10.
Shean scored her third goal of the game to reach a hat trick, for which she was named MAAC Rookie of the Week for the fourth time this season.
Head Coach Evan Mager said the team has “nine committed freshmen coming in that are very, very talented. We’re very excited about the future.”
In the fourth quarter, the Broncs held the Jaspers 3-1 with two by Bontatibus and one by Carrington, securing a 14-13 win.
Rider edges out Quinnipiac
The Broncs started their last home game of the regular season against Quinnipiac with two goals by Bontatibus and Carrington, holding the Bobcats 2-0 for the first seven minutes.
After five failed goal attempts, Quinnipiac scored its first, and the Broncs quickly responded with two more from Devlin and Walsh.
Two more goals from Walsh and Bontatibus put Rider up by three at the end of the first quarter.
The Broncs were hot right out of the gate in the second quarter with an almost immediate goal by Carrington.
Quinnipiac tried to fight back, but Rider fought harder, matching every Bobcat goal with one of their own.
The first half ended with three consecutive goals from Quinnipiac, rounding out the second quarter with a one-point game.
The second half of the competition continued the week’s theme of nail-biting competition, with the Bobcats getting closer and closer to gaining their first advantage over the Broncs.
However, Quinnipiac never scored over Rider, with goals from Carrington, Shean and Gismondi breaking ties and taking leads to end the quarter, once again, up by one.
Two immediate goals by Walsh and Gismondi opened the final quarter at home in the regular season with a bang.
The Bobcats responded with three of their own, however, it just wasn’t enough. The Broncs finished on top 16-13, gaining their second victory of the week, their seventh of the season, and their first entry into the playoffs in Rider history.
“We were in this situation last year and it really hurt not being able to go,” senior draw specialist Marissa Ross said. “This year, we knew we deserved to be in the playoffs.”
The Broncs will face the Niagara Purple Eagles on the road for their first game of the postseason on April 25. The matchup will be broadcast on ESPN+.
