Rider lacrosse falls in season finale at Canisius
By Emma Geremia-Hartigan
Rider closed out its 2026 season with a 20-10 loss on the road at Canisius University on April 18, finishing the year at 1-16 overall and 0-8 in MAAC play.
The game opened at a fast pace with Rider showing early fight despite falling behind. Sophomore midfielder Hannah Kozik got the Broncs on the board off a pass from graduate student draw specialist Marissa Ross, who followed with an unassisted goal to keep things close at 2-2 early in the first quarter.
Canisius used a scoring run midway through the quarter to pull away, but Ross added a late goal to keep Rider within reach at 7-3 after one quarter.
Rider answered with its strongest stretch of the game in the second quarter after junior attacker Maggie Hance sparked the offense with a goal off a feed from Ross, who then found graduate student attacker Kayleigh Colleary to help cut into the deficit.
Colleary added another goal of her own, and Kozik finished the setup, pulling the Broncs within two at 9-7.
The Broncs went into halftime trailing, 10-7, but carried momentum after outplaying Canisius for much of the second quarter.
Rider continued to battle in the third, with Colleary and Kozik each scoring to make it 11-9. The Broncs looked within striking distance, but a late run by Canisius stretched the lead heading into the fourth.
In the final quarter, Rider kept pushing, despite the growing deficit. Hance scored her second goal of the game off another assist from Ross, but the Broncs were unable to mount a comeback, falling 20-10.
Ross and Kozik led Rider offensively with three goals each, while Colleary and Hance added two goals apiece.
Ross also contributed several assists, playing a key role in much of Rider’s offense throughout her final game as a Bronc.
“I knew I was playing my last game of my career, so I just wanted to go out there and have fun, so that’s what I did,” Ross said.
Despite the result, Rider showed resilience throughout, particularly in the second and third quarters, where the offense found a strong rhythm. The game marks the end of the Broncs’ 2026 season, as they look ahead to building on their experience moving forward.
