LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ –
Zaki Alibou (Meknes, Morocco/Meknes) equalized in the 54
th minute and the Broncs benefitted from a 84
th minute Niagara own goal as the Rider University men's soccer team defeated Niagara, 2-1, Saturday afternoon on Ben Cohen Field. With the win, the Broncs improve to 5-4-1 (2-1-0 MAAC), while the Purple Eagles slip to 3-7-0 (1-2-0 MAAC).
Niagara opened the scoring in the 38
th minute, as Federico Cugge got on the end of a Josh Tufino cross from point-blank range, and the Purple Eagles took the 1-0 advantage into the locker room at halftime.
Alibou evened the score in the 54
th minute, as
Sergio Aguinaga (Madrid, Spain/Antonio Dominguez Ortiz) and
Guillaume Sarrabayrouse (Toulose, France/Pierre Paul Riquet) connected passes to Alibou atop the 18-yard box, with the senior rifling a low shot inside the left post.
In the 84
th minute, the Broncs generated a chance with a pair of Rider players in the box.
Taner Bay (Webster, NY/Webster Thomas) sent a cross from the right corner and a Niagara back, trying to clear the ball out of bounds, sent it into the Purple Eagles' net. The goal proved to be the game winner.
Quotes & Notes
"We were very sluggish. I've seen this happen a million times – 1 o'clock game on a Saturday and there's a crowd, but the crowd is quiet and, to me, we looked lethargic. Sometimes, it's just a matter of bringing passion. We brought the passion in the second half, created a lot of chances. Niagara is a really hard team to play. So, it was a good win. We'll take it." –
Rider Head Coach Charlie Inverso
- Rider owns a 13-8-3 edge in the all-time series with Niagara. The Broncs had won five-straight meetings with the Purple Eagles prior to a 2-1 loss in overtime in 2019.
-
Guillaume Veinante (Bayonne, France/Faculte des métier de Rennes) made one save in the win.
- Rider utilized 16 players in the game.
- Veinante,
Lenny Cidolit (Montpellier, France/Montpellier Univ.), Aguinaga,
Regis Dulck (Ostwald, France/Lycee Jean Monnet Strasbourg) and Alibou each played all 90 minutes.
Broncs By The Numbers
- Alibou scored his team-leading seventh goal of the year, giving him 17 points on the year. He has three goals on the week following a two-goal performance Wednesday at Quinnipiac.
- Aguinaga contributed his team-leading sixth assist of the season, while Sarrabayrouse's assist was his second of the year.
- For the game, Rider took a 14-5 edge in shots and a 3-2 advantage in shots on goal.
- The Broncs took eight corner kicks to the Purple Eagles' two.
Up Next
- The Broncs return to action Wednesday, when they travel to Marist. Kickoff from Poughkeepsie is scheduled for 7 p.m.
