Broncs hounded by Georgetown in 4-0 shutout

By Benjamin Shinault

The damage was done and the Broncs came back bruised and battered but are ready for Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference play. On Sept. 13, Rider played its final out-of-conference match against the Georgetown University Hoyas and were shutout 4-0. The Broncs by the end of their out-of-conference schedule finished with a record of 1-5-1 with zero wins on the road.

‘It was a great opportunity for us’

The Hoyas attacked the Broncs quickly in the Saturday night showdown scoring a goal within the first six minutes of the match off a penalty. 

After the first goal from Georgetown, the Broncs were able to collapse onto the Hoyas defense with both of the two shots coming from sophomore midfielder Ezra Punselie, but none found the back of the net.

After the two shots from Punselie, Georgetown held possession for a while and were able to send off four shots in a matter of 10 minutes, but the pressure got to be too much for the Broncs goalkeeper Marius Helias, putting Rider down 2-0.

After a few substitutions for both teams, Georgetown and their fresh legs were able to remain dominant in the first half lead to 2-0.

Georgetown was not done pouring it on the Broncs quite yet as in the 43rd minute of the first half, as the Hoyas attacked the 18-yard box and got it past Helias to make it 3-0, tied for their largest first half deficit of the season.

By the end of the first half, the Hoyas scored 11 shots and Helias saved eight of them. In the previous match against Saint Joseph’s University, Helias made six saves in total.

In previous matches this season, the Broncs have performed better in the second half and against Georgetown, the trend continued. 

In the first half, the Broncs gave up 11 shots, three goals and committed four fouls. Meanwhile, in the second half the Broncs still gave up 11 shots but Helias made five saves and only allowed one more goal. 

The final Georgetown goal of the match came in the 81st minute after some improved defense from the Broncs. 

Georgetown, the 25th best men’s soccer team in the nation in the coaches preseason poll, served as a learning opportunity for the Broncs.

“I think we were playing a top 25 team, one of the best teams in the country and it was a great opportunity for us to really take a look at ourselves,” Head Coach Chad Duernberger said.

When making the schedule for the 2025 season, Duernberger says that he puts tough opponents on the schedule for a reason to give the Broncs a good challenge before they face off against their MAAC rivals.

At the end of the match, Georgetown finished with 22 total shots with 17 on goal in comparison to the Broncs’ five shots with one being a goal, coming from junior forward Gio Polizzi.

Helias, by the end of the match, would make 13 saves. The last time a Bronc made more than that was in 2016. 

“It was his [Helias] second game for us and we really like Marius and I think he’s a great goalkeeper and I’m excited to push onto the MAAC now,” Duernberger said.

For Helias’ second match, getting into Rider’s history books came as a surprise.

“It’s always good but you know when the goalkeeper is making a lot of saves, it is not a good sign for the team so I’m happy to be in the history but, I still think we need to improve,” Helias said.

Rider will look to improve as they welcome a new year of MAAC conference play. Their first match will be against the Canisus University Golden Griffins on Sept. 20 at home at 12 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.