Box Score Men's College Soccer
Rider University 2, NJIT 0
LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ— It was a sad day for beach-goers, sun worshipers and NJIT soccer fans. Summer is now officially over and on the first day of Autumn, the Highlanders Fall.
The Broncs ended the non-conference portion of their schedule with a victory over the New Jersey Institute of Technology on Ben Cohen Field Wednesday evening.
“Our goal was to keep possession of the ball and we did that really well tonight,” said Rider head coach Charlie Inverso. “All said and done, it was not a bad effort by our guys.”
For Rider (5-2) senior Justin Veltri (Mays Landing, NJ/Oakcrest) and junior Christian Flath (Bargeshagen, Germany) scored.
Sophomore Elliott Otmani (LaCiotat, France) took a pass from sophomore Jose Aguinaga (Madrid, Spain) and hit the post, but the rebound came out to Veltri, who knocked home his second goal of the season and the eighth of his career just 1:40 into the game.
“We got off to a fast start,” Inverso said. “That's the way we like to go at things. Elliott beat a guy and hit the post and Veltri was there to clean it up.”
“Elliott took the ball down the side and hit it off the post,” Veltri remembered. “I was at the right spot at the right time and there wasn't much I could do but to put it away. Usually when we get off to a good start we play much better.”
The goal stood up until Flath scored on a 25 yard direct kick that he bent around the wall with 20 minutes left in the game. “Christian's goal was really important,” Inverso said. “That put the game on ice.”
“As soon as we got the second goal we had all the confidence in the world,” Veltri said.
On the 66th birthday of Bruce Springsteen, it was Flath who showed who was The Boss.
For Flath, who ranks 27th in the nation in points per game, it was his fourth goal of the season to go along with four assists. A two-time All-MAAC selection, Flath now has 19 goals and 54 career points in 43 games as a Bronc.
After Flath's goal Wednesday night, the Broncs were Dancing in the Dark. He might not have been Born in the U.S.A., but he continues to provide Glory Days for the Rider soccer fans.
Rider out-shot NJIT (2-4-1) 10-6.
Rider junior goalkeeper David Pastuna (Robbinsville, NJ) made two saves for the shutout, his first of the season (he shared the season-opening shutout vs. St. Joseph's) and the seventh of his career.
With the win Rider is now 3-1 at home. The Broncs have won nine of their last 11 regular season home games.
Rider and NJIT tied 3-3 last season in Newark. In 2013 NJIT won 2-1 at Rider. The Broncs last defeated NJIT in 2010. The Broncs hold a 3-1-2 advantage in the series that began in 2007.
The Broncs return home Saturday to begin MAAC play, hosting Marist at 1pm. “It is going to be a short recovery period,” Inverso said. “Anytime you go into the first conference game it is a big one. We want to get off to a good start. Marist is a good team, but I think we'll be ready for them.”
“This is the bulk of our season coming up,” Veltri said. “The MAAC games are what really matter, and we feel good going into MAAC play.”
Saturday will also be men's soccer Alumni Day with an Alumni Game at 10am and the soccer alums will be honored at halftime of the varsity game. “That's starting to become a big event around here,” Inverso said, “so we're looking forward to putting on a good show for our alums.”
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