Wednesday was a day to celebrate for the Raiders as they got a 3-1 road men's soccer win. (Courtesy photo by Kyle Prudhomme/Rivier Athletics)

NORTHFIELD, Vt. – The Rivier men’s soccer team defeated Norwich, 3-1, in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) match-up on Wednesday afternoon at Sabine Field. This marks the program’s first-ever win over the Cadets.

With the victory, the Raiders 4-4-6 (4-2-2 GNAC), the Cadets fell 6-3-4 (4-3-2 GNAC).

HOW IT HAPPENED

Kamar Matthew-Murray put the Raiders on the board less than a minute into the match, finishing a setup from David Pereira and Tanner Keenan.

Rivier doubled its lead in the 20th minute as Alejandro Quezada’s corner found Andrew Lennox, who headed in his first collegiate goal to give the Raiders a 2-0 edge into the half.

First-year Keenan kept the Raiders rolling in the second half, finishing a through ball from Quezada to make it 3-0.

The Cadets’ lone goal came on an own goal by the Raiders in the 69th minute, closing out the 3-1 final.

BOXSCORE BREAKDOWN

Norwich outshot Rivier, 15-6….Rivier held a 6-3 advantage in corner kicks…Logan Clough tallied seven saves in the net.

UP NEXT

The Raiders remain on the road to take on GNAC foe Lasell on Saturday, October 18, at Taylor Field, kickoff set for 3 p.m.

WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL

RIVIER 3, ELMS 0

The Rivier women’s volleyball team picked up its third straight win after sweeping Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) opponent Elms at the Muldoon Center.

With the win, the Raiders improved to 12-10 (6-1 GNAC), while the Blazers dropped to 8-10 (1-5 GNAC).

Rivier jumped out to an early 7-2 lead behind back-to-back kills from sophomore Savannah Dunne and senior Callie Nanos. Five different Raiders contributed kills en route to Rivier extending its lead 19-12

Rivier closed out the opening frame with a 3-0 run comprised of two kills from Dunne and an ace from sophomore Lily Seibel, taking a 1-0 match lead

Both squads were knotted at two to open the second set before senior Ali Rivera recorded three straight points, including two service aces, to give the Raiders a 5-2 lead.

Elms responded with a 4-0 run to take its second lead of the match

Senior Kaitlyn Miller added a service ace, and sophomore Lydia Brakefield recorded a pair of kills to swing momentum back to Rivier.

The Blazers rallied once more, bringing themselves within one four times before Rivier took a 2-0 match lead on yet another 3-0 run.

The Raiders hit their stride offensively, posting a .257 hitting percentage in the final frame. Brakefield and Nanos combined for timely kills to put Rivier ahead 5-4 to begin the third stanza.

Junior Lacey Turner and first-year Emma Zeblisky added a kill each as part of Rivier’s 7-1 run, taking a five-point advantage. Rivier maintained its lead through the remainder of the set, securing the match 25-18.

As a team, the Raiders totaled 34 kills, nine aces, and 47 digs, while holding Elms to a .027 hitting percentage. Brakefield led the offense with nine kills and a .318 hitting clip while Dunne followed with eight kills on a .375 percentage. Seibel distributed 27 assists, adding 10 digs, three aces, and a block assist. Rivera filled the stat sheet with five kills, 14 digs, and two aces.

The Raiders return to action Saturday for a GNAC tri-match with Lasell and Albertus Magnus at the Lasell Athletic Center. The first match is set to take place at 11 a.m.

FIELD HOCKEY

COLBY-SAWYER 11,RIVIER 0

The Rivier field hockey team was shut out by Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) opponent Colby-Sawye at Sally Shaw Vetich Track & Field in New London. With the result, the Raiders fell to 2-13 (2-8 GNAC), while the Chargers improved to 9-5 (7-2 GNAC).

The chargers dominated offensively in the first half, tallying four goals in both the first and second quarters to take an 8-0 advantage into half.

Coming out of the half, Colby-Sawyer knocked in three more in the third to cap off scoring for the game, 11-0.

Senior goalie Lily Gifford faced 15 shots… First-year Olivia Faro closed out the final 15 minutes in net for the Raiders.The chargers held the slight edge in penalty corners, 6-4. Colby-Sawyer outshot Rivier, 21-4.

The Raiders return to action on the road against non-conference Gordon College on Friday with first whistle set for 4 p.m.