Broncs narrowly miss the mark, drop consecutive MAAC matches

By Joshua Yuhas

The Broncs’ recent surge of draws came to a halt, falling 1-0 at Saint Peter’s University on Oct. 15 and 3-0 to Iona University at home on Oct. 18. 

Late Push Falls Short

The match started slow offensively on Oct. 15, hosting four fouls and a yellow card to just one shot each for the Broncs and Peacocks in the opening 15 minutes of the match.

The Peacocks found the first big chance minutes later with three consecutive corner kicks, establishing pressure on the Broncs’ graduate goalie Marius Helias, who held a strong scoreless first half.

Total shots sat relatively even between the two sides, with the Peacocks’ seven shots outnumbering the Broncs by just one after 45 minutes of play.

The Peacocks earned a free kick chance in the opening minute which Helias saved, but the ball found the head of a Saint Peter’s attacker for the first and only goal of the game.

Saint Peter’s continued to lay shots on Helias in the second half, ending the night with nine saves to give the Broncs a chance to come back in the game.

In the final minute, senior attacker Lovro Kostanjsek sent a shot at the edge of the box that did not make it through the traffic, closing a 1-0 loss for Rider on the road.

‘Fight until the final whistle’

The Broncs returned to Ben Cohen Field on Oct. 18, ending the game without a successful shot in a 3-0 loss to Iona.

Senior midfielder Theo Da Silva opened the offensive threat for the Broncs, firing a shot from just outside the box in the second minute, a free kick shot in the seventh and a shot blocked by the Gaels’ defense in the ninth.

Minutes later, a corner kick found the head of sophomore defender Max Schrader, missing left of the post to close the high pressure push to start the game.

Iona’s first premier chance came in the 25th minute when a substitute entered to take the corner, curling the cross to a teammate for a shot. Helias made a save, but the ball landed on the foot of a trailing Gaels attacker and into the back of the net.

Just 10 minutes later, the Gaels launched another perfectly placed corner kick, finding the head of a Gaels attacker, making it the second Gaels goal of the day.

“We knew that going into the second half, we needed an early goal, something to get us back into the game,” senior attacker Xavi Csato said.

Rider gave their best efforts to thwart the Gaels’ defense, finding chances in the box early in the half, but they only managed one shot to bounce off the post.

The Broncs continued to challenge across the half on corner kicks and opportunities around the box, but the Gaels goalie and defense did not budge.

Iona sealed the game in the 80th minute, netting a third goal to the far post, however, the Broncs maintained offensive pressure, posting four shot attempts in the closing 10 minutes of the match.

This late effort matched Head Coach Chad Duernberger’s understanding of his team’s mentality.

“The one thing with this group is they’re willing to fight. We say, ‘fight until the final whistle,’ not only today, but whenever that final whistle is going to be on the season,” Duernberger said. “We’re going to fight and give everything we possibly can for each other and Rider. So, I know this is a group that’s not going to quit.” 

Rider will enter the final stretch of its season, traveling to Marist for a matchup under the lights on Oct. 24.