Rider Field Hockey Schedule Released
The Rider University field hockey team will open the 2010 campaign at La Salle on August 29 and the home opener, at the new turf field on the Lawrenceville campus will be September 4 against Colgate at noon it was announced on Tuesday.
The Broncs follow with a six-game road trip with games at Penn, Delaware, Hofstra, Saint Joseph's, Holy Cross and West Chester before returning home for games against Temple (September 29) and Villanova (October 6).
Overall, Rider will play a 17-game regular season schedule, 10 in non-conference play.
"We feel that we have put together a very challenging out of conference schedule which we hope will prepare our team for NEC Conference play," said head coach Lori Hussong who is beginning her 11th season at Rider. "With the addition of Delaware (Colonial Athletic Association) and Villanova out of the Big East, it will be exciting to see what we can do."
Among the 15 returning letterwinners is junior Virginia Egusquiza (Getxo, Spain) who was the NEC Player of the Year as a sophomore after earning the NEC Rookie of the Year award in 2008. Egusquiza set the Rider single season record for assists with 17 while scoring 10 goals including four game-winners for the 17-2 Broncs in 2009 and is already 16th on Rider's all-time scoring list.
Also returning for the Broncs is 2009 NEC Rookie of the Year and current sophomore Marlaine Schneider (Feasterville, Pa./Neshaminy) who had 19 points (six goals, seven assists) last season and junior Megan Pisani (Plainsboro/W. Windsor Plainsboro-North) who was ninth in the nation in goals per game (1.11) and 15th nationally with 2.42 points per game. Pisani led Rider with 21 goals, including nine game-winners.
Rider (17-2, 8-0 NEC), the defending Northeast Conference regular season champion, opens the seven-game conference schedule at Robert Morris on October 10.
After two more road NEC games (at Quinnipiac October 15, and at Sacred Heart on October 17), the first NEC home game of the season will also be the first ever night game at the lit turf field against Bryant at 7:00pm on October 22.
"It will be nice to be able to play all of our home games on campus and at such a beautiful facility," Hussong said about the new turf field. "Having lights and turf, it will be such a great atmosphere for the student-athletes and our fans who have been tremendous in supporting the program. Our new turf field facility helps give us the ability to host a few more home games, will definitely help in our team's skill development and finally gives our players a real home field advantage."
Including the conference opener, Rider finishes the regular season schedule with four straight at home including games against Siena (October 24), Monmouth (October 29) and Saint Francis (Pa.) on October 31.
Rider has qualified for the four-team playoffs all 10 seasons under Hussong who was named NEC Coach of the Year last season. After an undefeated run through the NEC regular season, the Broncs were upset by the fourth seeded Monmouth Hawks, 2-1 in overtime, in the semifinals of the NEC tournament.
-RU-
