New-coached Broncs start season with a win

By Emma Geremia-Hartigan

Rider lacrosse opened its season with a 12-8 road win over Fairleigh Dickinson University in Teaneck, New Jersey, improving to 1-0 under new Head Coach Paige Frye.

With both teams scoring early on Feb. 6, the match was fast paced from the start. FDU struck first at 12:58 in the first quarter, but Rider quickly answered with back-to-back unassisted goals from graduate student attacker Kayleigh Colleary, giving the Broncs their first lead. 

Sophomore defender Hannah Kozik then scored twice in the quarter, once on a man-up opportunity and another assisted by Colleary for her first collegiate goals, putting Rider ahead 4-1. 

“Our offense was really just clicking and working as a whole, which gave me those opportunities to find the gaps in their defense as my teammates just found me,” Kozik said.

Rider continued to control the pace in the second quarter. Kozik added two more goals, one unassisted and one on another man-up opportunity. Junior midfielder Marybeth Smith also scored her first goal as a Bronc, helping Rider build a 7-4 lead at halftime.

Both teams played hard in a physical matchup with several penalties called on each side. Rider stayed composed and made the most of its chances, keeping the pressure on FDU throughout. Frye said that composure stood out to her in her first game leading the program. 

“First game, on the road, players in new roles, there were a lot of emotions,” Frye said. “We didn’t play perfect, but the work ethic, communication and compete was there from start to finish.”

Sophomore midfielder Taylor Santoro opened the third quarter with her first collegiate goal on a man-up opportunity. FDU scored twice late in the period, but Rider held an 8-6 lead going into the fourth.

Early in the fourth quarter, junior attacker Maggie Hance scored at 11:00, followed by another goal from Kozik at 5:14. Colleary completed her hat trick with an unassisted goal and Kozik capped the scoring at 0:05 with an assist from Colleary, securing the 12-8 win.

Kozik’s ability to read the field and attack open lanes helped her score six goals, four of them unassisted. 

“The ones that came unassisted, I just noticed the lane and took what was presented,” Kozik said.

Colleary added three goals, while Hance, Smith and Santoro each scored one as Rider’s offense was spread across the lineup.

The win marked an encouraging first game under Frye, with Rider’s offense clicking early and the team responding well whenever momentum shifted. Frye credited the group’s resilience in closing out the win. 

“Resilient is who this group is, plain and simple,” Frye said. “We show up for each other, we work for each other, and when something goes wrong, we fix it together and we move forward.” 

The Broncs will look to carry that energy into the rest of nonconference play as they take on the University of Rhode Island at Ben Cohen Field on Feb. 14.