Broncs fall short to Iona and Siena
By Benjamin Shinault
After snapping their losing streak with a win over Merrimack on Oct. 12, Rider women’s soccer lost its short-lived momentum as it dropped back-to-back games, losing to Iona on Oct. 16 and Siena on Oct. 19.
Dueling with the Gaels
Under the bright lights of Ben Cohen Field on Oct. 16, Rider welcomed their rival, the Gaels of Iona. Iona trampled the Broncs quickly, scoring three goals in the first half and adding one more in the second period, leading to a commanding 4-1 victory.
Within the first 10 minutes of the match, the Gaels took the lead, 2-0, taking advantage of the Broncs defense.
While the Broncs went down early, they crept a little closer with a free kick goal in the 13th minute from freshman midfielder Ava DeGeorge, her first of her collegiate career.
“I was definitely excited to get that goal because we were losing and I felt that it was going to help us get back,” DeGeorge said.
But after the DeGeorge goal, the Gaels built their lead back up soon after with two quick goals, making them unreachable.
At the end of the game, Rider controlled corner kicks with six, and 18 total shots, but Iona powered through and took advantage of the Rider mistakes.
Walked by the dogs
The Broncs hit Ben Cohen Field once again for Senior Day to take on the Siena Saints, but the game plan fell apart as they were shutout 2-0, marking this as the ninth time this season the Broncs have gone scoreless in a match.
The first 25 minutes of play left both teams scoreless, showing the Broncs’ adjustments on defense following their Iona matchup. However, Iona found the back of the net in the 26th minute, getting one past graduate student goalkeeper Ellie Sciancalepore.
Moving into the second half, with Rider down 1-0, Siena came through once more with another goal to cement the 2-0 victory in the 55th minute.
“We gave a great effort, had a couple of good opportunities, but the way our season has gone … it’s a mistake here and there, and a team capitalizes on our mistakes,” Head Coach Drayson Hounsome said to Rider Athletics.
Similar to the Iona matchup, the Broncs created shots but couldn’t get them past the sailing goaltenders.
The Broncs will look to snap the skid once more in their next matchup against Saint Peters on Oct. 23 at 3 p.m. in Jersey City, New Jersey.
