Broncs blanked by La Salle, fall to 1-3 

By Logan VanDine

IN the midst of a five-game road trip to begin the season, Rider field hockey could not find the net against La Salle, as the Broncs dropped their third straight match after a 1-0 start to the Explorers. 

The opening quarter was a sign of things to come for the Broncs, as the Explorers jumped out to a 1-0 with over seven minutes remaining in the first quarter, and a second La Salle goal gave the Explorers an early 2-0 lead.

The Explorers got some much needed insurance early in the third quarter as they notched another goal to make the score 3-0 and put the game away for good.

“I think we started off a little slow, but really started to connect and play together in the second half. We had a lot of scoring opportunities, but just couldn’t get them to fall in and that was the difference in the game. We need to capitalize on our opportunities,” first-year Head Coach Alicia Govannici said. “I felt everyone fought hard until the end despite being down and that is something we can definitely build upon.”

The Broncs did have some opportunities to get back into the game, including a penalty stroke that they failed to convert. They also had five corners in the fourth quarter that generated shots, but not goals.

Ultimately, the Explorers outshot the Broncs 17-12, as well as outshooting them in the cage by a margin of 8-3. 

Rider now moves to 1-3 on the season after an opening-day victory and despite the slow start to the season, Govannici still believes that her squad can turn things around.

“We are growing as a team and getting better every day,” Govannici said optimistically. “We need to be able to play the full 60 minutes, communicate more in defense and finish in the circle with some goals.” 

The Broncs have one more road game on Sept. 8 against Drexel before they return to Ben Cohen Field for their home opener against Georgetown at 12 p.m. for Alumni Day. 

The Drexel game begins at 5 p.m. and can be streamed on FloSports.