Broncs secure shutout on home soil

By Liliana Basile

Rider women’s soccer secured the win with a 2-0 shutout against the University of Albany on Sept. 14. This marked the first home game after the tough loss against Quinnipiac University the previous week. 

Hot, mid-day soccer

The day game took place under the blazing September sun, where the Broncs welcomed the Great Danes. 

In the first seven minutes of the first half, the Broncs scored their first goal by sophomore forward Tess Ferrie, assisted by junior forward Ava Ferrie and sophomore forward Valgerður Sigurjónsdóttir. 

By the end of the first 45 minutes, Rider faced seven shots, accumulated three on goal opportunities and committed four fouls. Freshman goalkeeper Ashley Moore was kept busy the last few minutes of the half with saving three shots in seven minutes. 

Going into the second half of the game, the heat from the sun was not cooling off and the Broncs were nowhere near close to stepping on the gas against the Danes. With more fouls being called and intense action on both sides, the Broncs still held onto their energy and motivation.

The second and last goal of the game was made 20 minutes into the second half, securing a lead for the Broncs. The goal was scored by senior midfielder Leonor Alves, assisted by Sigurjónsdóttir and sophomore midfielder Ava DeGeorge.

With the final blare of the score board reading 2-0 in the Broncs favor, the team had a total of nine shots, six saves and nine fouls. 

“Especially with the heat today, it was hard to find that energy,” Tess Ferrie said. “We did a really good job sticking to what we’ve been discussing over the past few weeks, and it always feels good to have a win.”

Before the match against Albany, the Broncs played three games since Aug. 31 and, needless to say, Head Coach Drayson Hounsome was happy to finally get some rest before the Albany match.

“There’s no easy game, whether it’s the temperature today, or you play a lot of games in a short period of time,” Hounsome said. “Today we were fortunate to come into the game with a team of well rested players and Albany had played a lot of games in a short period of time so I think that was definitely a big factor in the outcome of the game.”

The Broncs will look for another win on home soil at the Ben Cohen field on Sept. 20 at 3 p.m. against Canisius University.