It was a soccer celebration Saturday as Rivier beat Albertus Magnus for the first time in nine years at Merrill Field. (Courtesy photo by Kyle Prudhomme/Rivier Athletics)

NASHUA – The Rivier men’s soccer team defeated Albertus Magnus College, 2-0, in a rematch of the 2024 GNAC Quarterfinal matchup on Alumni Reunion Weekend.

With the victory, the Raiders improved to 2-4-3 (2-2-1 GNAC), while the Falcons fell to 5-3-1 (2-1 GNAC).

The win marks the program’s first over Albertus Magnus in nine years.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The opening stretch was an evenly matched battle. First-year Tanner Keenan buried his first collegiate goal in the top right corner, off a feed from graduate student Drew Sacca to put Rivier up 1-0 going into the half.

The second half mirrored the first, with back-and-forth play in the midfield

Sophomore Alejandro Quezada capitalized on a deflection, tucking the ball past the left post with two minutes left and a man down to seal the 2-0 win over the Falcons.

BOX SCORE BREAKDOWN

The Falcons held the slight edge on shots, 12-9…Albertus Magnus held the advantage in corners, 9-4…Senior Logan Clough and first-year Lucas Sades combined for the shutout victory.

UP NEXT

The Raiders continue their homestand on Wednesday with a non-conference matchup against Keene St. on Youth Sports Night. Kick-off is set for 7 p.m.

WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL

RIVIER 3, DEAN 0

The Rivier women’s volleyball team defeated Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) opponent Dean at the Muldoon Center. With the win the Raiders improved to 6-8 (2-0 GNAC), while the Bulldogs fell to 1-7 (0-3 GNAC).

Rivier came out swinging to begin the match, jumping out to a 16-4.

Dean added two more to its total before back-to-back kills from the outside pairing of junior Sam Driend senior Ali Rivera sparked a 10-1 to close out the set, 25-7. Senior Callie Nanos posted seven kills with a .700 hitting percentage in the Raiders dominate opening frame

Dean responded at the start of the second set recording its first lead of the game on the back of a 7-2 run. Sophomore Savannah Dunne’s kill brought the match level, 14-14 and fueled Rivier to complete comeback set victory, 25-19

The Raiders once again surged offensively to start the third set, taking a 10-1 as a result of kills from Dunne, sophomore Lydia Brakefield, and three service aces from Driend.

First-year Avery MacDonald fired home her first kill of her collegiate career to put Rivier ahead 23-13. The Raiders sealed the match after their fifth straight set, 25-17 as a result of a pair of errors by the Bulldogs

Rivera and Nanos each recorded a game-high seven kills, with a .600 and .286 hitting percentage respectively, while sophomore setter Lily Seibel posted a game-high 22 assists and senior libero Kaitlyn Miller recorded a team-high nine digs.

The Raiders return to the court Wednesday for a non-conference matchup with Granite State rivals, Plymouth State at 7 p.m. at the Muldoon Center.

WOMEN’S SOCCER

RIVIER 2, ELMS 0

The Raiders kicked off Alumni Reunion Weekend on a high note, defeating Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) foe Elms in a match that also honored the Class of 2026.

With the win, the Raiders improved to 5-3-2 (4-0-1 GNAC), while the Blazers fell to 5-4-0 (2-2-0 GNAC).

Rivier got on the board early thanks to the right foot of sophomore Julia Acampora who found the back of the net on the games first shot. The Raiders kept applying offensive pressure, nearly gaining a 2-0 advantage on a strike off the left foot of sophomore Leah Morrier that was turned away

Despite several chances by Rivier, the score remained the same heading into the break.

The Raiders strung together a pair of scoring chances that were just shy of the target to begin the second half. Graduate student Samantha Franks crossed a ball through the 18-yard box to a wide open, senior, Emily Harper who fired in the shot near post, giving Rivier a 2-0 advantage

The Raiders outshot Elms 6-1 in the final 30 minutes of the game, but could not convert another, sending the match final, 2-0

First-year Bailey Gatchell recorded a game-high four shots, followed by Franks with three. Senior goalkeeper Bri Nugent recorded one save in her first shutout of the 2025 campaign.

The Raiders return to action for a rematch of the 2024 GNAC Semifinals as they are set to take on Emmanuel (Mass.) next Saturday. Kick-off is scheduled for noon at Roberto Clemente Field in Boston.

FIELD HOCKEY

SAINT JOE’S (Me.) 3, RIVIER 1

With the loss at Merrill Field, the Raiders dropped to 2-7 (2-2 GNAC), while the Monks improved to 5-3 (4-1 GNAC).

In the final 45 seconds of the first frame, the monks found the back of the net to take a 1-0 lead.Midway through the second quarter, the Raiders capitalized on a penalty corner as Mary Kelly inserted to Reilley Swislosky, who swept it across to Kelsey Baine. Baine’s pass found Brianna Spinelli on the doorstep, where she tipped it in to even the score at 1-1.

SJC scored the lone goal in the third, regaining the lead, 2-1.

The Monks capped off their scoring efforts with a penalty corner to seal the game, 3-1.

SJC outshot Rivier, 20-5, while Raider goalie Lily Gifford finished with nine saves. Sophia Quinnlian recorded two defensive saves.

The Raiders return to action on Wednesday to face GNAC opponent Lasell at Grellier Field. First whistle set for 6 p.m.