Swanston, Ward lift Bulldogs over Rider, 1-0, to begin MAAC play

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Freshman goalkeeper Lyndsay Swanston (Burlington, Ontario) stopped every shot against her and sophomore Freya Ward (Haywards Heath, West Sussex, England) scored a goal on a redirected shot as the Bryant University field hockey team topped Rider, 1-0, in the opening game of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference schedule on Friday afternoon in Providence.

GAME INFORMATION

Bryant 1, Rider 0

Records: Rider (4-5, 0-1 MAAC), Bryant (3-9, 1-0 MAAC)

Location: Goldberger Family Field (Providence)

COACH DE VRIES' COMMENTS

"This was a battle," Bryant head coach Joppe de Vries said after the game. "I think we were prepared; we worked hard over the week. 1-on-1 defense is key for us right now. We also worked on our corners and set pieces and we were able to do that. I am very enthusiastic and proud of the team, they did well."

KEY MOMENT

With less than two minutes remaining in the first half, the Bryant offense earned a penalty corner. Senior Keighan Richardson (North Attleboro, Mass.) inserted a perfectly-aimed pass to Victoria Newbill (Wilton, Maine), who stopped the ball and set Floor van Dommelen (Berg en Dal, Netherlands) up for a shot on goal. van Dommelen fired a shot toward the net and Ward was able to redirect the shot past Rider's goalie, Lena Vandam, and get the Bulldogs on the board.

SCORING SUMMARY

• 34th minute – Ward's goal was her second of the season, the first coming on a similar play in a win over Brown.

STATS/NOTES

• Swanston earned the first shutout of her career in just her fourth career start. In her last start vs. Colgate, Swanston also earned her first win. She moves to 2-2 on the season.
• The win was Bryant's second-ever vs. Rider. The first was on October 18, 2013.
• This was the first shutout that the Bulldogs have recorded since they topped LIU Brooklyn last season, 6-0.
• There was a 45-minute injury timeout as a Rider player was escorted off of the field.

UP NEXT

The Bulldogs head down to Philadelphia for a Sunday matchup with Drexel. The game is slated for a Noon start and will be broadcast on the Drexel Sports Network.