Rider loses to another MAAC foe, gains point against SHU

By Rich Saile

Rider women’s soccer continued its dreary season with a loss on Oct. 2 against Quinnipiac 1-0, but the Broncs gained a point on a 0-0 draw against Sacred Heart on Oct. 5.

Rider now sits at 1-6-3 on the season and 0-3-2 in conference play.

Defensive dominance 

The Rider Broncs planned to bounce back following their defeat on the road against Canisius, as they hosted the Quinnipiac Bobcats on Ben Cohen Field on Oct. 2. 

Early in the first half, the Broncs missed a pair of shots and the Bobcats missed three corner kicks. 

The Broncs defense held down the Bobcats, but their offense struggled to make shots and get on the Bobcats’ side of the field. 

While the Bobcats sliced through the Broncs defense, they could not get past graduate student goalkeeper Ellie Sciancalepore. 

Yet, late in the first half in the 39th minute, the Bobcats’ Ailsing Spillane scored a goal for Quinnipiac, taking the 1-0 lead into the locker room.

“It’s unfortunate sometimes. That’s just the way the cookie crumbles. As a goalkeeper you can make a save, but, if it rebounds off the save on to the post, it can really go anywhere. It’s unpredictable,” Sciancalepore said. 

The Bobcats tested the Broncs’ defense by coming out of the locker room aggressively. Sciancalepore had three saves in the first 15 minutes of the second half. 

The Broncs’ offense had opportunities, especially in the final minute, when the Broncs worked the ball up from their side of the field all the way to the Bobcats’ side. They took a chance, scoring the tying goal off a corner kick. 

Sophomore back Courtney Carter sent a header into the box, a near equalizer, as the Bobcats goalie saved the shot and secured the win. 

“The Bobcats were a better team. They gave a good effort, but when you’re playing a better team that’s usually how it goes,” Head Coach Drayson Hounsome said after the game. “We asked them to work hard for 90, to compete hard for 90, to show a level of commitment for 90, and they did it eventually until the final whistle, so that’s all we can ask for.” 

Broncs snag a point

Following their narrow loss to Quinnipiac, the Broncs hosted first-year Metro Atlantic Conference opponent Sacred Heart Pioneers. 

The Broncs’ offense started out fiercely but were unable to make shots, including a pair of attempts from freshman forward Valgerður Sigurjónsdóttir. 

The Broncs and the Pioneers were engaged in a slugfest, as neither team was able to finish with a goal in the back of the net, and both teams went into the locker room with a 0-0 score. 

Following halftime, the teams initiated possessions that led to missed shots in opponent domains. 

The Broncs’ offense still pushed the ball into Pioneer territory for the early part of the second half as Sigurjónsdóttir missed a shot bottom center that was saved by the Pioneers goalie. 

The Broncs’ defense limited the Pioneers’ offense as Sciancalepore recorded eight saves, including three in a seven-minute stretch, with back-to-back saves in 30 seconds. 

The Broncs and Pioneers ended in a 0-0 draw, the Broncs edging out the Pioneers in shots 17-16 and shots on goal 9-8. 

The Broncs will seek their first MAAC win of the season when they travel to Manhattan to entertain the Jaspers on Wednesday, Oct. 9. The game will be broadcasted on ESPN+ and will start at 7 p.m.