College Soccer
Critical Games Wednesday with Canisius
The Rider University soccer teams are playing critical games Wednesday, games that will have a major impact on the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference postseason.
The Rider women (9-5-1, 6-2-1 MAAC) are currently in second place and control their own destiny with their 4pm regular season finale at Canisius. If Rider wins Wednesday it will defend its 2014 MAAC Title as the second seed in the six-team MAAC Championships, and will receive a first round bye. If Rider ties or loses at Canisius, the Broncs will most likely finish in third or fourth place and will host a first round playoff game Saturday, October 31.
The Rider men (10-4-1, 5-2-1 MAAC) are also in second place in the MAAC standings with two regular season games remaining, including a 2pm home game Wednesday against Canisius.
This year all 11 teams advance to the men's tournament, held at ESPN's Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, but the top three seeds not only receive a bye into the quarterfinals but also play a team that played the previous day.
The Rider men have won four in a row and are 5-0-1 in their last six games. The Broncs are led by the return of a pair of All-MAAC performers who have missed several weeks with injuries, junior Christian Flath (Rostock, Germany) and senior Florian Valot (Monaco, France). Flath leads the MAAC in goals per game and points per game, compiling seven goals and 18 points in just 11 games. Valot has five goals and 11 points in just 10 games.
Senior goalkeeper Ryan Baird (Plainfield, NJ) improved to 7-1 in the Rider net and leads the MAAC in save percentage. Baird has made 40 saves and has allowed just eight goals in nine games, and has three shutouts.
The Rider women are 5-1-1 in their last seven games and have been led by junior goalkeeper Bethany-May Howard (Glastonbury, England). Howard ranks eighth in the nation in save percentage and 17th in saves per game. She has made 99 saves and allowed just 12 goals in 15 games with eight shutouts. Howard recently broke the Rider career record for shutouts with her 14th in the last two years.
The Rider offense has been led by freshman Kourtney Cunningham (Whitehall, PA), who has five goals and five assists for 15 points.
The Canisius women (5-11-2, 3-6 MAAC) lost three out of four games before defeating Saint Peter's on Saturday. The Broncs defeated Canisius 5-0 at Rider last season. The last time Rider traveled to Buffalo the Broncs lost 2-1 in 2013. Canisius holds a slight 10-9-1 advantage in the series.
The Canisius men (6-8-1, 3-5 MAAC) have won three in a row. Rider lost 4-1 at Canisius last year. The Broncs defeated Canisius 2-1 the last time the Golden Griffins came to Lawrenceville, in 2013. The all-time series is tied at 10-10.
If you cannot make the 2pm men's game Wednesday you can watch all of the action on BroncVision (weather permitting). Live stats are also available for both the men's and women's games on GoBroncs.com.
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