Rider suffers first loss since season opener
By Logan VanDine
It has been a strong start to the season for Rider men’s soccer under first-year Head Coach Chad Duernberger. But on a windy and cloudy day in Riverdale, New York, the Broncs’ eight-game unbeaten streak ended as they were shut out by the Manhattan Jaspers, 2-0 on Oct. 7.
The game was primarily a defensive battle, as neither the Broncs nor the Jaspers could do much offensively in the first half, and both teams were scoreless headed into halftime.
But in the 78th minute, the Jaspers started the scoring. After sophomore goalkeeper Adam Salama was called for a foul inside the 18-yard box, the Jaspers capitalized on that, making the penalty kick that gave Manhattan a 1-0 lead.
“There are a lot of moments throughout matches that we are able to learn from. I look forward to looking at the film and begin preparing for Iona on Wednesday,” Salama said.
Four minutes later, the Jaspers got some much-needed insurance and made the game 2-0.
The Jaspers eventually snagged the win, sentencing Rider just its second loss of the season, and first of conference play.
“We had chances early on that could have changed the game. I thought we battled well in the conditions with the rain and the surface. Obviously disappointed with the result but I’m always going to find the positives and this group went on an eight-game unbeaten streak and hadn’t lost since the season opener, I’m proud of them,” Head Coach Chad Duerenberger said.
Overall in the game, the Broncs outshot the Jaspers 10-9, but when it came to shots on goal, the Jaspers were the superior team, having a 7-5 advantage.
Duernberger was also asked if he had any concerns after his team’s loss.
“No concern for the future. We’ll review the film and figure out how we could have went at Manhattan a bit more while also preparing for a very good Iona team ahead. We always say win, lose or draw, we come back with the same mentality on the training ground to prepare for the next one. We just need to make sure we grow from today,” he said.
Salama also gave his input on his team’s loss and expressed confidence in his team’s ability to bounce back from just their second loss.
“We have a very talented group that is hungry to win every single game this season, now we are going to grow and learn from this loss, and get back to winning ways,” he said.
The Broncs will look to start a new winning streak when they return home to Ben Cohen Field on Oct. 11 to host the Iona Gaels. The game starts at 7 p.m. and can be streamed on ESPN+.
