Broncs ends scoring drought, splits weekend games

By Logan VanDine

WHILE a 3-1 loss to La Salle on Sept. 3 sent Rider field hockey to its fourth straight loss, the Broncs got back to their winning ways, taking the victory in their second matchup against Georgetown, 1-0 on Sept. 10.

‘Improving every single game’

Searching for any kind of spark, the Broncs hard times continued as they dropped their fourth straight to Drexel on Sept. 8 by a final of 3-1.

The game did not get underway until around 8:30 p.m. due to a lightning delay, but once the matchup began, it remained tight through the first half.

The offense came alive in the third quarter, as Rider finally broke the tie when sophomore forward Semra Said drained the first goal for the Broncs in over a week, giving them a 1-0 lead.

“I knew that the girl from Drexel was right on me, but I still tried to get the shot off because it was a good angle to shoot,” Said stated.

The Dragons kept things interesting by scoring the equalizer less than a minute after the Broncs scored off a penalty shot.

Later in the quarter, the Dragons again scored on a penalty corner, giving them their first lead of the night at 2-1.

The score remained that way heading into the fourth quarter, and Drexel got some much needed insurance as they once again had a clutch corner goal that extended the Dragons lead by two. They went on to win by that same margin and sent the Broncs home with their fourth consecutive loss. 

“We are improving every game, but unfortunately our energy changed when Carli [Ciocci] came out of the game. It was nice to get the lead, but we need to play all 60 minutes,” Head Coach Alicia Govannicci said.

Said agreed with her coach that despite the four-game slide, she feels the energy is still there.

“Even though we lost, I am so proud of this team. The energy was so high from the start and no matter that the game was delayed our energy stayed high till the end of the game,” Said stated. 

Alumni Day

With the Broncs desperate to get back in the win column on Alumni Day, they did just that with a score of 1-0 over Georgetown on Sept. 10.

With Rider field hockey alumni on hand, including former Head Coach Lori Hussong, both teams were in a defensive battle that resulted in a scoreless first half.

Both teams returned to Ben Cohen Field to start the second half, with Rider scoring first thanks to a goal made by graduate student forward Carli Ciocco, making the game 1-0 and the eventual win for the Broncs.

The Broncs now move to 2-4 on the season and will have a week of rest to get ready for their next matchup against Towson on Sept. 20. Beginning at 3:30 p.m., the game can be seen on FloSports.