Box Score Men's College Soccer
Rider University 2, Niagara University 0
LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ— The Latin noun alumnus is derived from the verb alere which means “to nourish.”
Many of the men's soccer alums on hand Saturday have long nourished the hope of Rider reaching the level of play it has last year and this.
On Rider men's soccer Alumni Day, the defending champion Broncs dominated play and defeated Niagara in a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference game Saturday.
“It was a good win,” said Rider head coach Charlie Inverso. “Our alums are great. They are a huge part of helping move this program forward.”
For Rider (6-2-1, 1-0-1 MAAC) junior Jose Aguinaga (Madrid, Spain) assisted on both goals.
Aguinaga fed freshman Clement Bourret (Paris, France/Lycee Jean Giraudoux) with a forward pass and the rookie scored his team-high fourth goal of the season in the 53rd minute of play. “Clement's goal was huge,” Inverso said.
“Clem just turned and shot it,” Aguinaga said. “It was a great goal.”
With 22 minutes left to play Aguinaga passed to junior Elliott Otmani (LaCiotat, France) who scored from a sharp angle high into the net. “Elliott's goal was not only convincing but it was just a great goal,” Inverso said.
“That was a great goal by Elliott,” said Aguinaga, who now has a team-high four assists despite missing two games with an injury. “He's a great player.”
Rider out-shot Niagara (2-6-1, 1-1 MAAC) 21-3, including 14-1 in the scoreless first half. “They sat back defensively and made it tough for us,” Inverso said.
Rider senior Ryan Baird (Plainfield, NJ/St. Peter's Prep) made just one save for the shutout, his fifth of the season and 10th of his career.
Niagara's Steve Casey, the MAAC Defensive Player of the Week last week, made six saves. “He was really tough today,” Inverso said. “We could have had five goals if it wasn't for his play. He was the Man of the Match, for sure.”
This was the 20th meeting between Rider and Niagara, with the Broncs holding a 10-7-3 advantage in the series.
Rider plays at Monmouth October 5. “We take on the team that has been the best in the conference the last few years,” Inverso said. “We're looking forward to a good game.”
-ru-
