Broncs shut out Siena, pick up first MAAC win

By Terrell Munford

FOLLOWING a shutout loss at home against the Marist on Sept. 9, Rider women’s soccer got one game closer to the .500 mark at Ben Cohen Field, besting Siena College 1-0 on Sept. 16 to kick off a two-game road trip.

After a scoreless first half, the Broncs struck first with graduate student forward Chloe Fisher’s goal in the 48th minute that gave the Broncs the lead and the win.

“Every game is close and hard fought with the outcome often coming down to a moment of brilliance or an error,” Head Coach Drayson Hounsome said. “Against Siena, we were able to have that moment with a great goal and held them off when we needed to. Against Marist, we had the error and they had a positive moment.”

With the game’s lone score, Fisher picked up her first goal of the 2023 season and the seventh of her Rider career. She led the Broncs in shots against Siena with four, but as a team they were outshot 20-7 despite picking up the win.

“To get a goal like that as my first goal, I felt like I was on cloud nine,” Fisher said, “Momentum is everything when you play a short 10-game season like we do in the MAAC, so the quicker we reflect and push forward, tweaking the things we need to do is major, especially as we are aiming to be MAAC champions this year.” 

With the win, some Rider history came along with it, as senior goalkeeper Ellie Sciancalepore moved into a tie for second all-time in career shutouts and fifth all-time in career wins. Sciancalepore also won MAAC defensive player of the week.

With Rider gaining more momentum as the season continues, Hounsome reiterated what he expects out of his soccer team moving forward as the Broncs head into an important stretch of MAAC opponents. 

“We are trying to qualify for the playoffs and it is six wins to get in. … We have three points out of six and need 15-18 points,” Hounsome said. “Every game is different and each opponent causes its own problems – being able to adjust is key and the team did that very well against Siena.” 

With the win, the Broncs moved closer to the .500 mark at 3-4-1 on the season, and will look to reach that mark when they face off against the Fairfield Stags on Sept. 23. 

The game begins at 7 p.m. and be streamed on ESPN+.