HAMILTON – Junior goalkeeper Maria Krull (Leicester, Massachusetts) made a career-high 27 saves Sunday afternoon as the Colgate field hockey team fell to the Rider Broncs, 4-1, in non-conference action at Tyler's Field.
 
Earlier this season, Krull set a new career-high with 21 saves at then-nationally ranked No. 17 Northwestern before Sunday afternoon's 27. Krull made 13 saves in the first half and 14 in the second half, including a penalty shot that she easily turned away.
 
Krull has now recorded five consecutive games of double-digit saves and seven such games on the season. She currently leads the nation in saves with 135 and saves per game with 12.27. Her .742 save percentage also ranks in the top 15 in the nation.
 
Whitney Jones (Sudbury, Massachusetts) scored her second goal of the season and second goal in as many games as she converted a penalty shot for the Raiders. Jones claimed the team-lead with her goal.
 
Rider jumped out to a 1-0 lead just 10:04 into the first half on Koch' first goal of the game. Off a penalty corner, Melissa Cunningham received the insert from Tess Coorens on the left wing. Cunningham fed the ball to Koch at the top of the circle where she ripped the shot just past Krull's pads and off the backboard.
 
Koch added a second goal with 2:26 to play in the first half to take a 2-0 lead. Lauren Bock fired a bullet towards goal where Koch tipped the shot past Krull.
 
Koch followed up her two goals with an assist on the third to give the Broncs a 3-0 lead with 17:52 left in the second half. On a penalty corner, stopper Carlota Alsina controlled the ball at the top of the circle before shifting it to Koch on her right. Koch blasted the ball on goal where Carlie Spaeder redirected it for her fifth goal of the season.
 
Freeburg added her second goal of the season later in the second half with 14:56 left to make it 4-0.
 
Jones cut into Rider's lead with 1:20 left to play in the second half and spoil the Broncs' shutout. Lauren Miano (Hackettstown, New Jersey) fired a shot on goal after a penalty corner that was blocked by a defensive players body. A penalty shot was awarded with Jones taking the shot and putting it in the top left corner out of Rider goalkeeper Grace Huff's reach.
 
BOTTOM LINE
Rider 4, Colgate 1
 
WON-LOST RECORDS
The Broncs win their third game in a row to improve to 6-4 while the Raiders fall to 1-10.
 
KEY RAIDER INFO
-Maria Krull made 27 saves, setting a new career-high and best in the NCAA this season
-Her 27 saves are the most by a Patriot League goalkeeper since Lehigh goalkeeper Sierra Segear made 28 saves vs. Rider on Oct. 2, 2011.
-Jones scored a goal in a second straight game, first Colgate player to do it this season
-With two shots on goal, Jones now leads the team with 18 shots on goal.
 
FACTS AND FIGURES
-Rider held the advantage in shots at 41-3 and shot on goal at 31-2.
-The Broncs also led the way with a 13-1 edge in penalty corners
 
FROM THE SOURCE
Goalkeeper Maria Krull
"We tried to come out with a lot of effort out there and I was just trying to do my job and keep these guys in the game. It was a tough game today, tough game yesterday and it really took a toll on us."
 
"It's going to be the first time this season only preparing for one opponent, so we're definitely going to go hard in practice this week. Our mentality, our focus will be all on getting that Patriot League game on Saturday, nice to be at home at Tyler's Field."
 
UP NEXT
The Raiders return to action on Saturday, Oct. 1 when they host the Lafayette Leopards in a battle of Patriot League teams on a busy Homecoming Weekend in Hamilton beginning at 11 a.m. at Tyler's Field.