Men's College Soccer
Rider University 2, Marist College 1
LAWRENCEVILLE?The Broncs defeated Marist in a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Sunday. “The ?W' is tremendous,” said Rider head coach Russ Fager. “We've been fighting like crazy. Some games have been very difficult. Just getting the win today has to be an emotional lift for everybody.”
Rider senior Colin Jennings (Wall, N.J./Wall/Elizabethtown) took a direct kick from 50 yards out, just inside the midfield line, and the ball snuck in just under the cross bar to give Rider (2-10-2, 1-3 MAAC) a 1-0 lead with less than 10 minutes left in the first half. “That, I think, was the longest goal I've seen from a kick in a college game, ever,” Fager said.
“I was trying to put it to the far post and I miss-hit it a little and I think the keeper might have lost it in the sun,” Jennings said modestly about his long boot. “I hit a similar shot at GW (George Washington) last year that they said hit a defender in the head and went in so I don't think they credited it to me.”
“That goal lifted everybody's spirits on the field,” Fager said. “And besides that goal I think Colin had a very good day today.”
“I think that goal put some confidence back into the guys,” Jennings said, “That if we just keep working we'll be fine.”
The victory was Rider's first since August 29, snapping a five-game losing streak. “We've been fighting hard over the past couple of games, coming close, but not quite close enough,” Fager said.
“The ?W' definitely lifts the morale,” Jennings said. “That was exactly what we needed. The guys were starting to get a little antsy in the locker room.”
The Broncs took a 2-0 lead less than five minutes into the second half when sophomore Andrew Cotes (Selden, N.Y./Newfield) took a crossing pass from sophomore Jim Bradley (Washington Twp., N.J./Washington Township) and scored from 10 yards out. Cotes leads Rider with four goals and eight points. “The second goal put us in a place we have not been all season, up on a team 2-0,” Fager said. “Cotes worked his butt of today and did a great job, and Bradley did very well today.”
Marist (3-8-2, 0-3-1 MAAC) cut the lead to 2-1 with 33 minutes remaining but that was as close as the Red Foxes could get.
Rider out-shot Marist 13-12, including 8-4 in the first half. “It was really a battle, a fight from start to finish,” Fager said.
Rider freshman goalkeeper Chris Pimentel (Brick/Brick Memorial) made three saves for his first collegiate victory. Scott Kessler and Tom DeBenedetto each made two saves for Marist.
Rider tied Marist 1-1 in Poughkeepsie last year. Rider and Marist have now met 18 times, with Rider holding a 10-7-1 advantage in the series that began in 1992.
Rider travels to Fairfield for a MAAC contest Friday evening.
“We've been talking about MAAC games always being battles, being wars, and we actually won one of the wars now.” Fager said, “so I think the guys have a good taste in their mouths, they understand now what it takes to get the job done for 90 minutes and it could be a springboard for good things to come.”
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