Rider shows promise in draw with Niagara

By Kadie DiGiuseppe and Sophia Matthews

Coming off its first Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference game, a 5-1 loss against Fairfield, Rider women’s soccer ended its 0-0 game against Niagara on a high note. 

The Broncs and the Niagara Purple Eagles faced off at Ben Cohen Field for Rider’s Alumni Game in a tightly-paced affair, but the Rider offense closed the game on Sept. 14 with an encouraging level of energy and chemistry. 

‘You can feel the passion’

Rider began the game with an intense offensive attack, earning four early corners and three shots on goal, one of which occurred in the first minute. 

Niagara began to pick up its offensive intensity 25 minutes into the half, but it was no match for graduate student goalkeeper Ellie Sciancalepore, who saved two consecutive shots. 

Sciancalepore was a vital part of the Rider defense in the matchup, serving as a brick wall in the box. 

When asked about corner kicks and her mentality toward blocking shots, Sciancalepore said, “There’s a lot of girls in the box, so what I have to do is just kind of forget they’re there, tunnel vision on the ball, and I remind myself that I can always be more athletic than the girl next to me and get to that ball.”

The Broncs continued their aggression throughout the rest of the first half, but they were unable to find the back of the net. 

Niagara started the second half revitalized and looked to break through Rider’s defense. 

While the Broncs thrived on offense in the first half, they were forced to switch gears, they placed their focus on defense in the second half after Niagara came out with two shots on goal and a corner in the first 15 minutes of the half. 

In the 64th minute, Rider was able to bounce back with junior midfielder Margret Fridriksson taking two shots in a quick succession.  

‘Kept the energy really high’

As the clock began winding down, players became frustrated and hungry for the first goal of the game, evident through the yellow cards being awarded to both teams with under 15 minutes to go. 

The Broncs took advantage of this energy by taking three shots within the last 10 minutes, including an amazing attempt by freshman forward Valgerður Sigurjónsdóttir. 

Sophomore midfielder Ava Ferrie and Fridriksson both put forth their own shot attempts in the last three minutes. 

After the game, Head Coach Drayson Hounsome reported overall optimism, noting Rider’s success in maintaining a shutout and creating chances with their high percentage of ball control. 

“They got some good players, so to stop them scoring, it’s good,” Hounsome said, specifically noting Niagara’s superstar left forward who had her five-game scoring streak ended by Rider. 

After the draw, Rider sits at 1-4-2 and will have two weeks off before its next MAAC game at Canisius on Sept. 28.