LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ – Five different Broncs scored as the Rider University women’s soccer team cruised past Niagara, 5-0, Wednesday afternoon on Ben Cohen Field. With the win, the Broncs (5-2-3, 2-0-1 MAAC) remain unbeaten in league play, while the Purple Eagles slip to 5-4-1 (1-2-0 MAAC).

 

Graduate student Emily Curteis (Llanfyllin, Wales/Liverpool John Moores) got the scoring started with a strong individual effort in the 35th minute. Just over seven minutes later, Sofia Soares (Sao Paolo, Brazil/St. Nicholas) got past her defender to the top, left corner of the 18-yard box and centered to Valeria Pascuet (Bunuel, Navarra, Spain/San Fermin Ikastola) whose strike deflected off a Purple Eagles defender and past goalkeeper Sabrina Locas for a 2-0 Rider lead at the half. 

 

The Broncs kept the pressure on with two quick goals early in the second half and three for the period. Madeleine Tarin (Eastvale, CA/Chino Hills) headed in a Pascuet corner in the 52nd minute and less than two minutes later, Curteis, Soares and Makenzie Rodrigues (Seattle, WA/Forest Ridge) connected passes with Rodrigues finishing for a 4-0 Rider lead. For good measure, Erica Ludwikowski (Williamsport, PA/Williamsport) elevated to head in Karagh Tait’s (Swadlincote, Derbyshire, England/Derbyshire) free kick from the midfield in the 87th minute, giving Rider the 5-0 victory.   

 

Quotes & Notes

“On a day like today where it was pretty warm - the first two conference games, we’ve had a week of rest and recovery in preparation. So this is our first game where we haven’t had that. We knew it was going to be tough. We knew we would need quality performances from those players coming off the bench. I thought they did that and I thought they did that excellently, in fact.”

 

“This is a team that, it’s always a really tough game for us. The team that travels probably has a bit of a disadvantage. We traveled there twice last year. I think it might be 2015 the last time we beat them. To beat them in the manner that we beat them today is probably what’s most pleasing. That we scored five goals, we dominated good spells of the game and we kept them off the scoreboard. So, the nature of the win I think is a real confidence booster for all those players that were here last year, because they have the same team, the same forwards that caused us a lot of problems last year and scored goals on us.” – Rider Head Coach Drayson Hounsome

 

“It was really special to score one of five goals that we scored today. I was just really proud of everyone today. It was a really good performance.” – Rider Women’s Soccer Player Valeria Pascuet

 

- Rider cut Niagara’s lead in the all-time series to 13-10-2. The Purple Eagles had won the last two, both last year in Western New York, including the MAAC Quarterfinals, following a tie in 2017. 

- Rider is unbeaten through three MAAC games for the first time since 2016, when the Broncs won their first four against league foes. 

- Goalkeeper Carmen Carbonell (Valencia, Spain/Guadalaviar School), Cameron Santers (Wayne, NJ/Wayne Hills) and Niamh Cashin (Nottingham, England/All Saints Academy) each played all 90 minutes.

- The Broncs return to action Saturday, when they travel to Marist. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.   

 

Broncs By The Numbers

- Carbonell made four saves to earn her fourth shutout of the season and the ninth in her career. 

- Soares had a pair of assists to push her team-leading point total to 12 (four goals, four assists).

- Rodrigues joined Soares with her team-lead-tying fourth goal of the season.  

- The goals were the first of the year for Curteis, Tarin and Ludwikowski.  

- Rider took a 20-11 edge in shots, including a 7-5 edge in shots on goal. 

- The Broncs also enjoyed a 6-4 advantage in corner kicks.