Rider gains experience against nation’s elite

A season of great promise didn’t have a great start for the Rider women’s soccer team, but it did give head coach Drayson Hounsome one of the things he was looking for.

The Broncs dropped a 4-1 decision last Friday to Rutgers, which was No. 10 in the NSCAA preseason rankings and reached the College Cup Final Four last season. Rider returns to the pitch Thursday night against another 2015 NCAA qualifier in FDU, which the Broncs have not defeated since 2012.

While Hounsome was disappointed in his team’s play against the Scarlet Knights and felt Rider “did not perform even close to our best,” he realizes that good things can come of it.

“Playing a top 10 team exposes the many deficiencies we have, which is good,” he said. “So it allows us to identify our weaknesses and focus on improving them.”

Not much looked strong against RU, which out-shot the Broncs 24-5 and scored the most goals ever on talented senior goalkeeper Bethany-May Howard. But that is one of the reasons Hounsome scheduled Rutgers, to see where the Broncs stand against the nation’s elite.

One thing is certain, however. Howard is definitely not a weakness after being named second-team All-MAAC last year and winning the MAAC Tournament Most Valuable Player in 2014.

“She is one of the best in college soccer and the standout keeper in the conference,” Hounsome said. “(Having her) is a big advantage.”

So is the fact Rider has nine starters returning in front of Howard as it attempts to break through to the NCAA Tournament after reaching the MAAC semifinals four of the last six seasons. The 2015 team finished 10-7-1 overall and 6-3-1 and tied for third in the MAAC. It fell to Manhattan 3-1 in the semis.

Leading scorers Caroline Healy (6 goals, 3 assists), Kourtney Cunningham (5 goals, 5 assists), Ellie Smith (3 goals, 5 assists) and Hollie Kelsh (1 goal, 8 assists) are all back. Senior Heather Maierle has been voted the Broncs top defensive player all three years she has played, while sophomore defender Meghan McCabe was a second-team All-MAAC pick as a sophomore and a member of the All-Rookie team along with Cunningham.

A strong core of newcomers features Valeria Pascuet, Erica Ludwikowski, Sofia Soares, Nora Trapp, Patricia Chasson, Bethany Feinstein and Rebecca White.

“We have more depth than previously, and given our situation we have modified training in order to reduce the risk of injury, so the level of competition to step on the field is very high,” Hounsome said. “Everyone is challenging to play, from newcomers to experienced seniors.”

The coach added that with so many players used to playing with each other, “it’s a case of using that familiarity to have better on field insight and communication. So, collectively the team can perform the same actions more than what has been done previously.”

Hounsome has publicly stated this could be the best team Rider has had in its 20year history. But with tough competition in the preseason and on opening night, the coach doesn’t sense that same confidence in his team just yet.

“It’s tough to tell this early,” he said. “We have played three teams in pre-season that are established programs with significant resources; much higher than the level in the MAAC. So each game has been a challenge.”