Rider falls in penalties in MAAC quarterfinals

By Hannah Newman

A hard-fought battle of losses, comebacks and a standing spot in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) playoffs, women’s soccer closed their 2022 season on Oct. 30 with a heartbreaking 4-2 penalty shootout loss.

The game began with a heated 12 minutes of pure rivalry, both sides refusing to budge, until senior midfielder Lindsey Maslow made that mission a reality getting her team on the board and making her team- leading sixth goal of the year. This gave the Broncs’ the lead for the entirety of the first half.

“The team emphasized getting a goal early in the first half, so scoring the first goal made me super happy to give the team an early lead,” said Maslow.

As the game progressed into its second half, both teams lined themselves up to score efficiently from the start.

Head Coach Drayson Hounsome said, “It was a great effort. We scored first and then hit the post three times. If one of those shots goes in then at 2-0 we are in a much stronger position.”

The attempts to score for the Broncs were shot down after hitting the crossbar three different times. Canisius found themselves suffering from the same setback after junior goalkeeper Ellie Sciancalepore canceled Canisius’ opportunity to tie the game in the 63rd minute and tipped a shot onto the crossbar.

Right on the clock’s 85th minute, just when the game appeared to be coming to an end, was the moment that the game was only beginning. The battle to win the playoffs peaked with Canisius tying the game 1-1.

Since both overtimes remained flat, the final determination of the winner was surrendered to penalty kicks.

Both teams failed to make their first attempts at the goal. After two consecutive knocks at the post and four more saves by Sciancalepore, Canisius scored on their second kick, and after a second failed attempt for the Broncs, Canisius dominated and closed the game with a 4-2 win.

Sciancalepore was far from frustrated with the result of the penalty kicks, but she came out of this game feeling nothing but pride and appreciation for her team and their efforts that landed them in the playoffs.

“Some shots just didn’t go our way, and it stings to loose in the way we did. That being said, the girls laid it on the line for the game and fought for the entire 110 minutes. All I can be is proud of them and the challenges that we have overcome this season. Losing is never easy to accept, especially in penalty kicks, but our team fights nonstop, and that is something to be proud of coming away from this,” said Sciancalepore. “Every game we played, we fought hard. Win, lose or tie, we put our bodies on the line for each other. The season is always a grind, and no matter the end, the girls fought for one another every single day. I am extremely proud of the girls and what we have proved to others and to ourselves over the past three months.’’

Although the end to the Broncs’ season was an unpredictable one for all, this loss did not deter them from feeling like this season was an achievement.

Freshman center back Olivia Smith said, “Overall, we played well and had some other great offensive chances that hit off the post a few times, so I think we were just unlucky in this game. Considering we were on the verge of not even making the playoffs to being No. 4 at the end of the regular season just shows how much work everyone put in to get to where we are now.”

The Broncs women’s soccer team finalized their season with a 5-5 record and four All-MAAC players; Sciancalepore won the league’s Golden Glove Award as a result of being the league’s top goalkeeper as well as being named to the All-MAAC First Team. Earning Second Team All-MAAC honors was Barkey and Maslow and earning third team was junior defender Genevieve Ryan.

Maslow came out as the team’s leading goal scorer with six total goals scored,and senior midfielder Cameron Dees became the season’s leader in assists with a total of three.

Overall, coach Hounsome considers the season a success in the growth and history of his team.

“Our players have played in the playoffs every year for the last 10 years,” Head Coach Drayson Hounsome said. “We scored first and then hit the post three times. If one of those shots goes in then at 2-0 we are in a much stronger position.”

“To do that takes an insane amount of effort, commitment to training and desire to get better. The effort this year’s team put in was outstanding,” Head Coach Drayson Hounsome said.

The Broncs will return next season with key pieces in Sciancalepore and Smith, as well as many others to try and push for another opportunity at making the MAAC playoffs.