Broncs’ defense dominates in 1-0 win

By Shaun Chornobroff and Cameron Fitzpatrick

A 1-0 victory against Saint Peter’s helped the women’s soccer team continue its winning tear in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) play on Oct. 9.

The drastic drop in temperature compared to previous conference matchups proved harmless to the Broncs. A week after playing in 90-degree weather, temperatures dropped down into the mid-50s for Rider’s matchup with Saint Peter’s.

Despite the colder weather, Rider was powered by the dominance of junior goalkeeper Carmen Carbonell, who secured her second consecutive MAAC Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 7, en route to her fourth-straight shutout.

“I’ve been really lucky and grateful for my defense,” Carbonell said about her teammates’ efforts. “They do a really good job and help me to keep working harder.”

The first half was mainly controlled by the Broncs, who dominated in time of possession and limited St. Peters’ opportunities on defense.

The lone goal of the game occurred when freshman midfielder Camryn Dees served a dangerous ball into the box that was tapped into the net by a Saint Peter’s defender for a 17th minute own goal.

The closest Saint Peter’s got to a score was in the 70th minute when a Peacocks shot nicked off the crossbar and fell to forward Chloe Wilkinson, whose rebound attempt was stifled by Carbonell. 

Rider managed to put up 18 shots, which gave it the advantage over the six shots taken by the Peacocks.

Head Coach Drayson Hounsome spoke on the defensive showing by his team.

“We had to make sure in transition that we squeezed up and had our defenders in the attack leaving no space for them to play,” Hounsome said. “I thought we did a decent job of that. There were times where we didn’t, but for the most part, we eliminated [scoring opportunities].”

Through five MAAC games, the Broncs have only given up one goal. Hounsome praised the accomplishment.

“It’s incredibly hard,” he admitted. “But if you don’t give the opposition a clean look and there’s always some kind of pressure on the ball or shooter, then there’s always a good chance the shot won’t go in.”

Rider continued on its annual dominance of Saint Peter’s that goes back nine years, which is the last time Saint Peter’s defeated the Broncs. Rider had an eight-game winning streak over Saint Peter’s before a 2-2 draw last season.

 As expected from a game with a rivalry as far back as these two teams, there was some tension down the stretch.

Members of both teams were involved in some verbal disputes in the final 15 minutes of the game. A hard foul and back-and-forth quarral resulted in a yellow card for sophomore midfielder Jessica Auvil.

The Broncs’ start was the first time in program history that Rider had been unbeaten through its first five conference games. 

The Broncs will attempt to continue their winning streak at Manhattan on Oct. 16 at 7 p.m. Rider then hosts Fairfield on Oct. 19 at 1 p.m.

You can follow Shaun Chornobroff on Twitter for more Rider women’s soccer news.