Rider concludes home schedule with MAAC losses

By Rocco Schirripa

Home was not so sweet for the Broncs last weekend as the women’s soccer team played two games and fell to MAAC rivals Canisius and Niagara.

“I think that the team did well in the first half of the games and we competed well, but it was a few mistakes that led to the losses,” said freshman back Julia Greif.

The Broncs’ faceoff against Canisius (10-3-3 overall, 5-2 MAAC) started slow until Rider (2-12-3 overall, 1-5-1 MAAC) tied the game up at one before the half. The Griffins then jumped out to a 2-1 lead just minutes into the second half, and Rider was unable to come back.

Rider’s only goal was scored on a header by freshman Jordan Bunch, her third goal of the season and a tie for the team high. Bunch began the season as a forward but has seen the majority of her playing time on defense.

“She’s better with space to run into rather than playing with her back to the goal,” Head Coach Draysome Hounsome said to Rider Sports Information. “That’s what we want from her, joining the attack from that position.”

With 30 minutes left of play, Canisius scored its last two goals, sealing the deal at 4-1.

The Griffins outshot the Broncs 16-11, while sophomore goalkeeper Alex Post, who is ranked eighth in the nation with 7.64 saves per game, made eight saves.

“After I scored the goal in Friday’s game, I thought the team had a lot of momentum, but then we made some mistakes and they scored goals on us,” Bunch said.
After another conference defeat, Rider could not bounce back to overtake Niagara 3-0 during the Broncs’ Senior Day.

The Purple Eagles scored the first goal after 30 minutes of play, and the Broncs were unable to answer for the rest of the game.

Niagara outshot the Broncs 17-12, and Post had five saves, keeping her national position secure.

“On Sunday we competed the first half but again there were a few mistakes that led to our loss,” Bunch said. “We definitely want to come out with two wins next week to end our season well.”

Sophomore Lauren Musemeci agrees on how close the Broncs came before falling short.

“We matched up better than we thought against both teams and it was just a few mistakes that hurt us,” she said.

Rider’s game with Niagara was its final home game of the season. The Broncs will begin to wrap up their season today at Siena and at Marist on Sunday.