Broncs draw in three straight, 10th in MAAC standings

By Benjamin Shinault

Week by week, Rider men’s soccer is gaining ground in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference standings. For the third straight match, the Broncs  tied with their opponent. On Oct. 11, Rider faced off against Fairfield University and tied 1-1 thanks to some late match heroics.

‘I love these guys’

The first half of the Stags and Broncs matchup on Oct. 11 was a slow one. The Broncs finished with two total shots in the first compared to Fairfield’s eight. 

Additionally in the first half, the Stags had to make one save while Rider graduate student goalkeeper Marius Helias only made two saves.

It was not until the late stages of the second half where both teams turned up the intensity.

The Stags sent off 11 shots against the Broncs in the second half whereas the Broncs launched six shots of their own.

Both teams came close to scoring, especially the Broncs. In the 49th minute, senior forward Xavi Csato came close to breaking the ice, but his shot sailed to the right of the post.

The match was tied 0-0 going into the 86th minute, leaving just four minutes to play. It looked like another scoreless draw, until the Stags cashed in on a corner kick, making it 1-0.

Going down a score with less than four minutes to go is a tough pill to swallow for most soccer teams, but not for Head Coach Chad Duernberger’s team.

“Fairfield scored with less than four minutes left in the match, which leaves most teams no time to respond,” Duernberger said.

Despite time running low, the Broncs answered back in 23 seconds off the foot of graduate student defender Kaelan Debbage for his first goal of the season, sending the Broncs bench into a frenzy.

“To answer their goal with a goal of our own 23 seconds later shows the mentality of this group. I love these guys, never say never, they are going to fight until the final whistle,” Duernberger said.

The game concluded and gave the Broncs their third straight tie, leaving the Broncs undefeated in their last three matches. 

Over the course of its three matches, Rider scooped up three points and emerged into the top ten in the MAAC standings.

“We have a big week ahead with two key matches that could really push things forward for us,” Duernberger continued. “All eyes are on Saint Peters.” 

The Broncs will face off against the Peacocks on the road on Oct. 15 at 3 p.m.