Rider Women's Soccer to Face Washington in First Round of NCAA Tournament
Rider Sports Information
LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. —The Rider University women’s soccer team, champion of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, will travel to Seattle to play the #4 seed Washington Huskies in the first round of the NCAA Championship Tournament.
The game is scheduled for 10pm (ET) Friday, November 14.
“That’s a nice draw, getting a four seed,” said Rider head coach Drayson Hounsome. “It is a far trip but I am familiar with the area. My wife is from Seattle. I’m very happy we are going there.”
The 64-team field is composed of eight Regionals, with teams seeded one to eight in each regional. The first round is held on 32 sites, with the second round comprised of eight sites with four teams at each site.
Washington (12-6-2) competes in the Pac 12, where they finished in fifth place with a conference record of 5-4-2.
Rider went 5-2-1 over the final eight games of the regular season to finish in fourth place in the 11-team MAAC. In the MAAC Championship Tournament, Rider defeated the fifth seed, Siena (2-1), the top seed, Monmouth (1-0) and tied the second seed, Fairfield (1-1) in the Title Game. Rider advanced to it’s first-ever NCAA Tournament by winning the shootout 5-4.
The Broncs (12-5-3) are led on the offensive end by a pair of first Team All-MAAC selections, junior Tara Ballay (Delran, NJ) and sophomore Michelle Iacono (Merrick, N.Y./Calhoun) and MAAC an All-Rookie team member, freshman Ellie Smith (Norwich, England/Norwich City).
On the defensive end, the Broncs are led by the Championship Tournament MVP, sophomore goalkeeper Bethany-May Howard (Glastonbury, England/Bridgwater College) and a Second Team All-MAAC defender and All-Tournament team selection, fifth-year senior Becca Kape (Westfield, NJ/Westfield).
Ballay led the MAAC in scoring (11 goals, 24 points) despite missing five games with a broken leg. Despite the injury Ballay played in all three post-season games.
Iacono missed three games late in the season with a hamstring injury but also played in all three postseason games, and was one of the five Broncs who scored in the Championship Game shootout.
Smith scored both goals in Rider’s first round playoff win over Siena, and along with Iacono is tied for second on the team in goals (4) and points (13), while leading the team in assists (5).
Howard leads the MAAC in save percentage (.851) and is second in the conference in saves (114). The 114 does not include her biggest save of the season, on a penalty kick in the Championship Game shootout that gave Rider the berth in the NCAA Tournament.
Kape is a fifth-year senior and team captain. Kape is a veteran of 68 Rider games, leading a team that plays 13 freshmen and sophomores.
“I have never been that far away before,” Kape said of her upcoming trip. “We all thought we’d be playing a number one, so this is very exciting.”
Kape graduated last year but came back this year for her fourth year of eligibility, after red-shirting the 2010 season. “Coming back for this year is the best decision I ever made,” Kape said. "I am so happpy I came back."
The 12 wins this season tied the program record for wins in a season, set in 2004 (12-7-2).
Rider fielded a women’s ‘club’ soccer team in the fall of 1996 and became a varsity sport at Rider in 1997.