Broncs drop 10th match, tournament hopes fade
By Benjamin Shinault
The 2025 season for the Broncs has been a tough one to swallow. For the first time since the 2018 season, Rider men’s soccer has recorded 10 losses. On Oct. 24, the Broncs fell to the Red Foxes of Marist University 3-1. With the loss, the hopes of making it to the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament have been neutralized.
‘It hasn’t been the year’
In the second-to-last away match of the season, Rider made its way up to Poughkeepsie, New York, to take on the Red Foxes.
The 7 p.m. match started off quick for the Broncs, scoring in the 13th minute off the cleat of senior forward Xavi Csato, who got one to nestle in right past the Red Foxes’ goalkeeper.
“I cut inside the guy with a great pass from [senior midfielder] Will [Baker] and I was able to find the bottom corner,” Csato said.
The Broncs enjoyed the lead up until the 40th minute when Marist kicked one past graduate student goalkeeper Marius Helias.
The match remained 1-1 until the buzzer went off to end the first half. The Broncs only got two more shots off in the first half while the Red Foxes sent off eight more shots.
Marist, by the end of the second half, had 12 total shots in the second half alone and 10 shots on goal by the end of the match.
Within the first 10 minutes of the second half, the pressure proved to be too high for Rider as it surrendered the lead as Marist scored to make it 2-1. The Red Foxes were able to pull Helias out of the net and ended up getting one past him.
For the remainder of the second half, the Broncs attacked hard trying to find the equalizer, but failed to do so. The Red Foxes, within the final three minutes, extended their lead to 3-1 after a nice pass within the 18-yard box.
Duernberger was urgent in his coaching to try and find the equalizer as time was dwindling down, but it left the defense of the Broncs vulnerable and it cost them.
“As the clock started to tick down in the second half at 2-1, we had to take risks to add more players in the attack to try and find the equalizer,” Duernberger explained. “Unfortunately, Marist was able to find the third goal.”
The buzzer sounded and Rider saw itself drop its 10th match of the season and its third straight defeat.
With the loss, the Broncs are going to be missing the MAAC tournament after winning the conference in the previous two seasons.
As of Oct. 27, Rider is last in the MAAC with two matches to go. Rider, with its three points, are four points behind the 10th place team, Mount Saint Mary’s University.
Although the tournament is not in reach, Duernberger is not done putting out full effort in the last two matches.
“I love these guys. This family has two matches left together and they will fight until the final whistle, it hasn’t been the year any of us had hoped,” Duernberger said.
Rider will look to right their wrongs and end the losing streak in a match against Sacred Heart University on Nov. 1 at Ben Cohen Field at 1 p.m. on Senior Day. The match will be broadcast on ESPN+.
