Rider picks up four points and first win

By Benjamin Shinault

Rider men’s soccer had quite the beginning to its season. In its season debut, they were shutout 5-0 and had to postpone the game due to a shooting hoax at Villanova University. Later, they lost their home opener 2-1. 

Since then, the Broncs have struck back in their last two games, drawing with La Salle University on Aug. 29 and shutting out George Washington University 3-0 on Sept. 1. 

‘The fight was there’

Coming off a loss in their home opener, the Broncs were hungry to gain some points before they enter Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference matches. 

The Explorers struck first in the 21st minute off a penalty kick but the Broncs were able to strike back a few minutes later in the 27th minute off the foot of junior forward Gio Polizzi for his second goal of the season.

Both teams went silent toward the end of the first half but with less than three minutes to go, senior forward Theo Da Silva, who was named the MAAC Preseason Co-Player of the Year on Aug. 13, got off to a good start with a goal to put Rider up 2-1.

Coming out of the half, La Salle brought a lot of offensive pressure on the Broncs as they ended the second half with 12 shots but Rider’s defensive front held strong alongside freshman goalkeeper Yoav Arikha making two saves. 

With the game 2-1 in the Broncs favor, they could see the light at the end of the tunnel with their first victory of the season, but it quickly vanished as the Explorers scored a goal with just four minutes to go in the match.

Rider could not steal back the lead and the match ended in a draw with Rider walking away from Philadelphia with their first point of the season.

Head Coach Chad Duernberger said to Rider Athletics, “We’ve got to find ways to fight and be gritty and I thought the guys did that. Obviously, being down a man, we didn’t give up an extra goal there to lose it.”

First win of the season

The hot sun beamed down through blue skies on Ben Cohen Field as the Broncs took on the George Washington Revolutionaries. Rider, still in search of its first win of the season, achieved that and more with a 3-0 shutout victory.

The Broncs set off the horn in the 15th minute with a goal from senior midfielder Lovro Kostanjsek.

Kostanjsek, a transfer from the University of South Florida, was happy to get the first goal out of the way.

“I needed it to get off my chest,” Kostanjsek said, “It’s something I love to do and hopefully keep on doing for Rider.”

The Broncs settled down for the rest of the first half with few chances to add on to their early lead. By the end of the first half, George Washington had six shots while the Broncs only had one.

In the second half it was all Rider, as they added on two more goals to go up 3-0. Freshman defender Bobby Lucien came off the bench and delivered for the Broncs.

“To come on and make a difference and be able to run, especially when it’s the 67th minute when guys are tired, they got to impact the game and he just covered so much ground and helped us defensively and won 50-50 balls and then obviously got his goal,” Duernberger said.

Now up 2-0, Kostanjsek added some insurance for the Broncs and put them up 3-0, which was enough to give the Broncs their first win of the season.

Rider will now hit the road and face off against New Jersey Institute of Technology on Sept 6. The match will commence at 6 p.m.