Rider falls to 1-3-1 in sluggish open
By Kadie DiGiuseppe
Rider women’s soccer fell short to Saint Joseph’s 0-2 and at New Jersey Institute of Technology 0-3, bringing their season record to 1-3-1.
The Broncs were outshot 35-15 across both games.
Tough competition
Coming off their first home loss of the season, the Broncs were met with their second home opponent: the undefeated Saint Joseph’s Hawks.
While both teams began the match with ferocity and determination, the Hawks scored first in the 34th minute, putting the Broncs behind 1-0.
After halftime, the Hawks defense came out looking for a fight, getting a penalty kick that led to another goal to put Rider behind by two.
Though Rider was shutout, it had 11 shots, including six shots on goal, four saves and four corner kicks.
“Overall, I think we can only go uphill from here,” said senior midfielder Hannah Mendez.
Graduate student goalkeeper Ellie Sciancalepore had four saves in her fourth start of the season.
Sciancalepore and her upperclassmen teammates welcomed in nine new freshman, including Tess Ferrie from Branford, Connecticut, Leah Marcell from Webster, New York, and Valgerður Sigurjónsdóttir from Reykjavik, Iceland, who all had shots on goal for the Broncs.
Other incoming freshman include Kaia Lyn, Megan Cairns, Isabell Kronow, Joanna Abdelmalak, Ava DeGeorge and Annie Small.
“I think we were better today than we were against Seton Hall. Our defensive shape was good. I think we limited them to chances,” said Head Coach Drayson Hounsome to Rider Athletics.
Bounce back
After the Broncs extended their losing streak to two games, Rider traveled to Newark, New Jersey, where it played its third road game of the season against NJIT.
NJIT controlled the game, having two corner kicks and three shots within the first 10 minutes. The Broncs let the Highlanders score their first goal of the game in the 13th minute.
Rider gave up another goal in the 24th minute with only one shot against NJIT.
The last goal against the Broncs did not come until the last 10 minutes of the game after a penalty corner in the 80th minute.
The Broncs may not have scored a goal in the game, but they were able to get opportunities down the field, including three corner kicks.
Sciancalepore gained six more saves during the game including her remarkable diving save she made before halftime.
However, her defense allowed the Highlanders to take 23 shots, including nine shots on goal, which ultimately led to the 3-0 loss, Rider’s first to NJIT in five years.
“We’re going to face adversity but I don’t think that these games really reflected who we are,” Mendez said, “It all comes down to passion and grit.”
When asked about how she was feeling about the teams first Metro Athletic Atlantic Conference opponents, Mendez said, “We’re going to come out hungry for a win.”
After three consecutive losses, the Broncs will travel to Fairfield University at 1:30 p.m. on September 7. The game will stream on ESPN+.
