Broncs shut out Manhattan, draw with Marist

By Rich Saile

Rider men’s soccer traveled to New York on Oct. 30 to shut out the Manhattan Jaspers 2-0 before tying 2-2 with Marist on Nov. 2.

Rider moved to 5-1-1 in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference play, locked in a tie with Iona for the top seed.

Broncs strike quick

In the first half, the Jaspers offense was aggressive, pushing the ball into the Broncs territory and putting pressure on junior goalkeeper Adam Salama. 

The Jaspers attempted three corner kicks in the span of 66 seconds, but the Broncs defense blocked the goal, preventing the Jaspers from scoring early. 

The Broncs offense started slow with only two shot attempts in the first 22 minutes of the game, but they picked it up for the last 23 minutes of the half. 

Rider forced multiple shot attempts but could not make a goal before heading into the locker room. 

Rider and Manhattan entered halftime scoreless in a tight defensive deadlock.

Coming out of intermission, the Broncs played the game at their pace, pushing the ball into Jaspers territory and testing Manhattan’s goalkeeper with two shots on goal. Both shots, however, were unsuccessful.

Rider’s offense finally broke through with a goal from freshman midfielder Ezra Punselie, who scored off an assist from senior midfielder Bryan Akongo.

Akongo evaded defenders along the left sideline to set up a cross for Punselie in front of the goal, giving the Broncs a 1-0 lead. 

Once on the board, the Broncs hurried down the field to strike again, their second goal in 65 seconds, for a 2-0 lead. 

Junior midfielder Theo Da Silva connected a pass to junior midfielder Momo Diop towards the 18-yard box, where Diop slashed the ball through two defenders inside the post, scoring the second goal for the Broncs. 

The Broncs held on and earned a tough road win against the Jaspers, who won four of the last five games against the Broncs heading into the matchup. 

‘There’s a lot to play for’

Looking for its sixth consecutive win on Nov. 2 the Broncs traveled back to Ben Cohen Field to host the Marist Red Foxes. 

The Broncs offense struck first with a goal less than 90 seconds into the game from senior midfielder Jack McGeechan, who completed a pass from Diop at the 18-yard box. 

The Red Foxes responded with a tying goal 10 minutes into the game, cashing in on a one-on-one opportunity against Salama. 

The Red Foxes offense pushed the ball into Broncs territory, but the defense held its own, as both teams went into halftime tied 1-1. 

After returning to the field, the Broncs offense tried rolling with a go-ahead goal but could not convert early opportunities. 

In the 56th minute, Marist had a chance to go ahead on a penalty kick, but Salama saved the shot, keeping the score tied.

The Red Foxes finally broke through the Broncs defense to make the score 2-1. The Broncs trailed for the first time since the Merrimack game almost a month ago. 

Rider scored an equalizer goal with seven and a half minutes left in the game from Diop off a give-and-go into the box with a pass from sophomore forward Patryk Rojek. 

The Broncs offense found their groove, seizing the opportunity for a clutch go-ahead goal, but they missed two shots, the closest being in the 86th minute from graduate student back Cole Sotack. Rider and Marist ended the game with a 2-2 draw. 

“Anytime you play in a match win, lose or tie, you try to find positives out of that, and one of the positives that I felt I saw in the group was we fought back late when we got the game-tying goal with six minutes left in the game. … There’s a lot to play for, which is great. You want to be in that position to still be able to earn a championship,” Head Coach Chad Duernberger said after the game. 

Rider and Iona are now tied atop the MAAC standings, with 16 points each. Diop scored his eighth goal of the season and went into sole possession with 20 points, while McGeechan scored his third goal in the Broncs’ last three home games. 

Rider seeks their first regular season championship title since 1997.

 The Broncs wrap up regular season play on Nov. 6 when they host Mount St. Mary’s on Senior Day at 4 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN+.