Broncs’ strong start continues, end non-conference play 4-1-1

By Joshua Yuhas

Rider men’s soccer concluded their non-conference slate on a high note with a 3-2 victory against La Salle University, opening the season with a 4-1-1 record.

Tied where it matters

Heading into the matchup, Head Coach Chad Duernberger emphasized the mentality on handling pressure to his squad, a trait that he has been confident in since their season opener on Aug. 20 against James Madison University.

“I’ve really enjoyed how this group handles high pressure situations. They don’t get rattled, they just keep working. Going into the La Salle game, I asked them to go into the match like they did at JMU,” Duernberger said. 

The Explorers blitzed the Broncs to open their Sept. 12 matchup with a pair of shots each saved by graduate student goalkeeper Marius Helias in the first minutes of the match.

On a deflected long cross a few minutes later, graduate student defender Sawyer Koza collected the ball around midfield, where he turned up the field and sent a through ball up.

Senior forward Drew Heil collected the pass in stride on the right side of the box and struck the ball on the ground into the far left post for the opening score and a 1-0 Rider lead.

“At first I didn’t see anyone, so I took another touch forward. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I see Drew [Heil] making a run across the back line,” Koza said.

Following the goal, La Salle took control of the match, producing a pair of shots and corner kick chances before finally breaking through with the equalizer in the 11th minute.

A 14th-minute shot was saved by the Explorers’ goalkeeper before the Broncs faced the next four shots up to the 36th minute, when Heil took one of his own.

At the end of the half, Rider took a 2-1 advantage when junior forward Emmanuel Dan-Adokiene pushed down the right side, sending in a low cross to the box that pinballed off an Explorers’ defender and into the net. 

The Explorers responded immediately with a goal of their own, leaving both sides tied at two heading into halftime.

La Salle outshot Rider 12-3 in the first half, but also committed 10 fouls compared to the Broncs’ three in that same time period.

Under pressure

To open the second half, the Broncs went on the attack first with a burst of chances, putting pressure on the Explorers.

Shots from senior forward Patryk Rojek and Dan -Adokiene started a sequence of corner kicks, where junior defender Carter Schmitz missed a shot high. 

An attempted pass from the Explorers’ goalkeeper at the end deflected off a Bronc, falling to the foot of graduate student midfielder Ryan Kuladnek, who slid down to score.

La Salle regained momentum back with back-to-back shots, one of which was saved by Helias, and a pair of corners, which did not produce a shot.

The Broncs launched a counter attack across the field, where Rojek’s attempt was saved by the Explorers’ goalkeeper.

An exchange of chances kept the match lockstepped with a 3-2 Rider lead, but in the final minutes, La Salle turned up the heat on Rider’s defense.

Opening the 86th minute with a corner, the Explorers’ shot was saved by Helias, but the threat was not over just yet with a final-minute corner for the Broncs to defend.

The cross was sent curving into the box, landing at the head of an Explorers’ attacker. However, the header missed high, as the match came to an end.

 “I thought we finished the match off under pressure with a professional mentality, making the right plays to get the clock down to zero in the second half,” Duernberger said. “We made great strides in our clock management which I was very proud of the team for.”  

Despite trailing 20-9 in shots and 10-2 in corner kicks, the Broncs persevered through the late challenges, as Helias closed the night with six saves.

“We’re all so close with each other and we have no doubt in our ability that anyone we go against, any team in the country we will take them on. We don’t care who it is,” Koza said.

While Duernberger feels strongly about his squad thus far, there is not room to get complacent as the Broncs enter Metro Conference play.

“These next five games we need to take a step forward in how we play, our performance, which certainly needs to sharpen up,” Duernberger said. “Then the final phase, including post-season play, if we are fortunate enough to qualify for, we need to be playing at our highest level, clicking in all areas.”

The Broncs will return to Ben Cohen Field for their first Metro matchup of the season against Quinnipiac University on Sept. 19 at 1 p.m. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.