Men's College Soccer
Rider University 1, Bryant University 1 (2ot)
LAWRENCEVILLE-The Broncs fell behind early but came back to tie Bryant Sunday afternoon. "I told the guys I was proud of them, the way they played hard coming off a tough game Friday night," said Rider head coach Charlie Inverso. "The effort was there and I was happy the way we came back."
Rider (1-3-1) junior Dan Friga (Clifton, N.J./Passaic County Tech) picked up a loose ball off of a rebound and scored mid-way through the first half to tie the score.
"I just followed up the rebound and put it away," said Friga, who scored his first goal of the season after leading Rider in scoring last year with three. "I was just in the right spot at the right time."
Bryant (0-2-1) scored in the 16th minute of play on a penalty kick. "We kept our heads up after that call and kept working," Friga said. "We should have put some goals away that we didn't."
"We have to stop making these little mistakes that are costing us games," Inverso said. "If you are going to lose or tie you want to make sure the opponent earned it. I don't think Bryant earned that goal today."
Rider junior goalkeeper Matt Perrella (North Brunswick, N.J./N. Brunswick) made six saves.
Rider out-shot Bryant 16-12, including 4-1 in overtime.
This was the first-ever meeting between Rider and Bryant in men's soccer.
The Broncs travel to Binghamton, NY to take on Albany Friday night and the host Bearcats Sunday afternoon at the Binghamton Tournament. "We're going to see two tough teams," Inverso said. "It should be interesting. I told the guys winning on the road is even sweeter."
"It is going to be a good test for us," Friga said, "but we like playing on the road. We take an 'us against the world' attitude into the game and it motivates us."
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