Last-minute goal dashes Rider’s playoff hopes

By Benjamin Shinault

Rider women’s soccer appeared destined for the playoffs once again as two minutes remained in a must-win match; seconds later, its season came crashing down with one shot.

Needing a victory to qualify, the Broncs were one point shy of making the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament after a 1-1 draw with Mount Saint Mary’s on Oct. 30, with the Mountaineers’ tying goal coming with just 95 seconds left.

The Broncs will miss the postseason for the first time in 11 years.

“It’s heartbreaking for sure. You’re about 90 seconds away from making the playoffs, and things are falling your way and all we got to do is get it over the line,” Head Coach Drayson Hounsome said to Rider Athletics.

The lights lit the Ben Cohen Field for one of the team’s biggest matches in recent history. With a win, the Broncs would make the tournament. If they lost or tied, their season would come to an end.

The match started out well for Rider, as it had 10 shot opportunities in the first half alone. The Broncs kept their defensive attack strong, limiting the high-scoring offense of Mount Saint Mary’s to three shots.

As both teams battled for a seat in the tournament, the two teams shared 17 fouls.

The match was scoreless after the first half, but the Broncs had momentum heading into the break. Rider limited the Mountaineers’ chances and kept the Mount Saint Mary’s goalkeeper busy.

The second half began with the Broncs finding the back of the net off a strike from sophomore forward Noa Menzing. Menzing, dribbling the ball straight to the 18-yard box, pushed it into the bottom-left corner of the net to give the Broncs a 1-0 lead.

Rider’s defense was stout until the 88th minute. With less than two minutes to go and a playoff spot on the line, the Mountaineers got a shot past graduate student goalkeeper Ellie Sciancalepore. 

After a crushing tying goal, the Broncs could not get another shot opportunity in the short amount of time left on the clock.

The draw ended Rider’s season, as well as Mount Saint Mary’s. Their final record fell to 4-9-4. Throughout the season, Rider’s defense shined through with seven shutout wins. However, Rider’s offense was shut out nine times. 

The Broncs had quite the up and down journey with the season. It took them until Oct. 12 to pick up their first conference win, but they were still only one win away from the cracking the tournament.

“I’m proud of this team’s resilience for sure this season,” Hounsome said.

The Broncs also saw on a period during the somber season where they didn’t win a match for 52 days. 

The Broncs will now look to start up the tournament appearence streak once again next season.