Scoreless streak, Broncs struggle to find the net 

By Samantha Clark and Liliana R. Basile

Falling further down the hole of defeat, Rider faced a goalless tie against Saint Peter University on Sept. 24 and its fourth shutout loss this season at Sacred Heart University on Sept. 27, bringing home the team’s third failure in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.

Stormy and scoreless

Riders women’s soccer ended their third MAAC game against Saint Peters at home in a tough tie on Sept. 24.  

The Broncs welcomed the Peacocks at Ben Cohen field during non-ideal weather conditions, with the rain and humidity adding another layer of pressure before the match even started. 

Rider came in hot as soon as the first half started with eight shots already on the board at the 16th minute mark. Fighting through the hot air, the Broncs kept their energy up. 

By the end of the first 45 minutes, the Broncs racked up a total of 10 shots, with four corner kicks and only three fouls. The only substitutions needed were at the 28th minute mark. 

The shots in the first half were led by junior forward Ava Ferrie with three out of 10 shots and sophomore forward Valgerður Sigurjónsdóttir trailed behind with two out of 10 shots.

By halftime, the rain started picking up, and the added heat and humidity was not cooling off the players. 

The Broncs came back in the game with the same intensity as before, their mindset on scoring the first goal of the match. The Peacocks remained steadfast , wanting to find the back of the net first. 

Rider ended up only getting five more chances of scoring in the second half, along with gaining three more corner kicks and picking up four fouls. 

Sigurjónsdóttir gained two more shots in the second half, with an attempted four out of 15 shots taken by Rider. The match ended in a scoreless 0-0 tie. 

Falling in Fairfield

Returning to the road for the first time since early September, the Broncs looked to flip their three game losing-streak in the MAAC. 

Despite their efforts, Rider found themselves scoreless once again on the field at Sacred Heart University, a team they have not defeated since 2009. 

The game in Fairfield, Connecticut began slowly, with freshman goalie Ashley Moore saving four goals before a Pioneer successfully found the net in the 22nd minute. 

Freshman back Aysu Unver, sophomore forward Tess Ferrie and Sigurjónsdóttir all fired shots on target, but were successfully denied by Sacred Heart’s defense.

“It felt great to create an opportunity against their keeper. Although I did not score, the confidence I gained from that shot will stay with me going into the game against Mount St. Mary’s,” Unver said.

The Pioneers scored their next two out of three attempted goals, sending the Broncs into the second half trailing 0-3. 

In just four minutes, Sacred Heart scored the first and only goal of the second half, continuing Rider’s scoreless streak.

Moore continued to save four additional goals in the second, bringing her season high saves up to nine, three above her previous record from Sept. 20. 

Sacred Heart missed six shots in a row to end the matchup, Broncs trailing 0-4, marking their fifth loss of the season, their third in the MAAC.

The Broncs will look for a win on the road against Mount St. Mary’s University on Oct. 1 at 7 p.m.