MOUNT ST. MARY'S (0-0) at RIDER (0-0)
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Lawrenceville, N.J., 4:00 p.m.
Mount Update: Mount St. Mary's opens its 20th season on Saturday when it visits Rider for a 4:00 p.m. game. The Mount, picked 10th in the Northeast Conference Preseason Coaches Poll, went 5-11-3 overall and 2-7-1 in NEC play last year. The Mountaineers were 2-8 on the road, including a 1-4 mark against non-conference opponents. The Mount returns its top three scorers from a year ago in junior Kelly Baker (4g, 1a, 9 pts), senior Sadie Winship (2g, 3a, 7 pts) and senior Sarah Malpezzi (3g, 6 pts). Senior goalkeeper Alicia Miller had a solid season for the Mountaineers last year, posting a 1.19 goals against average and a .779 save percentage. The Mount offense struggled last year, with just 16 goals in 19 games. The Mount lost nine games last season by one goal and the team was 2-11-3 when held to one goal or less.
About the Broncs: Rider was picked to finish sixth in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Preseason Coaches Poll. The Broncs finished in fourth place in the MAAC last season, the team's first top four finish in the league since 2004. Rider went 9-8-2 overall and was 5-4 in league play, falling to No. 1 seed Canisius, 1-0, in the MAAC semifinals. The Broncs return each of their top three scorers last season in junior Abi Cottam (8g, 5a, 21 pts), sophomore Jennifer Meier (6g, 3a, 15 pts) and sophomore Jody Sokol (5g, 2a, 12 pts). Defender Becca Kape was named to the Preseason All-MAAC team as well. Rider went 2-1-1 against NEC opponents last season, defeating Fairleigh Dickinson (2-0) and Wagner (1-0), tying Saint Francis (Pa.) (0-0) and losing to Sacred Heart (4-2).
The All-Time Series with Rider: The Mount has faced Rider just one time in its history, a 1-1 tie on October 19, 1997, in Emmitsburg.
Year-by-Year Results vs. Rider
Oct. 19, 1997, Mount St. Mary's 1, Rider 1 (2 ot) (Home)
Last Meeting Between the Schools: The Mount and Rider battled to a 1-1 tie on October 19, 1997, in the only meeting between the two schools. The Mount's Tammy Palmer opened the scoring seven minutes into the second half when she converted a tap pass from Kelly Shearer from a Sarah McGinley cross. Rider answered just 1:36 later when Kellie Neville buried a 30-yarder to the far post to even the score. The Mount held a 16-to-9 edge in shots in the game. Mount goalkeeper Nicki Trumpler made seven saves while Rider keeper Lindsay Canfield made 10 stops.
Season Openers: The Mount is 1-18 all-time in season openers with the lone win coming against Delaware State (10-0) in 2005. The Mount is 0-11 on the road in season openers, including a 1-0 loss to Navy last year. The Mountaineers have lost the season opener by one goal in each of the past three seasons and have been shutout in 12 of the previous 19 season openers in program history.
Preseason Poll: The Mount was picked to finish 10th in the annual Northeast Conference Preseason Coaches poll.
Miller Time: Senior goalkeeper Alicia Miller is second all-time in program history with 319 saves, trailing Anna Lebo (2004-07), who made 350 saves in her career. Miller also ranks fifth in career goals against average (2.04) and sixth in save percentage (.754) while her seven career shutouts are third all-time, three behind Lebo's school record of 10. Miller's 1.19 goals against average last season was the third-best single-season mark in Mount history.
Winship Moving Up Scoring List: Senior forward Sadie Winship is tied for 13th all-time at the Mount with 23 career points (9g, 5a). Her nine career goals are tied for 10th on the Mount's list.
Head Coach Tom Gosselin: Mount St. Mary's head coach Tom Gosselin is in his fifth season at the helm of the Mount's women's soccer program.
Up Next: The Mount will visits Iona on Sunday, August 28, for a 1:00 p.m. game in New Rochelle, N.Y.
