NEW ROCHELLE, NY – Babacar Diene (Thies, Senegal/CEM Ballabey) broke a 1-1 tie with a goal in the 83^rd minute and Adam Salama (Ramle, Israel/Orthodox [Ottawa Univ.]) saved a penalty kick with 16 seconds remaining in regulation as the third-seeded Rider University men's soccer team defeated top-seeded Iona, 2-1, Sunday afternoon in the MAAC Championship Game on Mazzella Field. With the win, the Broncs' seventh-straight, Rider (12-3-4) wins its sixth MAAC Championship and advances to the NCAA Tournament. MAAC Regular Season Champion Iona ends its season at 12-4-0.  

The Broncs opened the scoring in the 36^th minute as Momo Diop collected a deflection in the midfield at the edge of Rider's attacking third, played himself a bit closer and to the right and unleashed a missile into the right upper 90 to beat Iona goalkeeper Nacho Alfaro Monge for the 1-0 lead. The Broncs' lead remained 1-0 at the half.

But less than three minutes into the second half, Iona's Camil Azzam Ruiz intercepted the Broncs' clearance and left it off for Thiago Cagna, who bent a shot inside the near, left post from 25 yards out for the equalizer. Still a 1-1 tie into the 83^rd minute, Diene made a move into the box to his left and fired a left-footed shot through traffic. The ball deflected low off an Iona defender and past Alfaro Monge for what proved to be the game winner.

Things took a dramatic turn in the final 30 seconds of regulation, as a foul was called near the top of the 18-yard box. The referee initially awarded a free kick at the edge of the box, but after conferring with the linesman, changed the call to a penalty kick. Azzam Ruiz took the penalty and went low, but Salama made a kick save, popping the ball up over the crossbar and time expired.   

Quotes & Notes
"I'm just so happy for these guys. I got here in the Spring. They've bought into everything I've taught them with our core values. They've stuck with it. You like to see it pay off for them. Just how these guys have represented Rider University and our program, I'm so thankful for them." – Rider Head Coach Chad Duernberger

- The MAAC Championship and NCAA Tournament berth are both Rider's sixth, following titles in 1997, 1998, 2015, 2016 and 2018.
- Rider was playing in the MAAC Championship Game for the ninth time and moved to 6-2-1, advancing to the NCAA Tournament six times.
- Rider is 22-10-3 all-time in the MAAC Championships.
- Rider leads the all-time series with Iona, 16-12-2, including a 10-2-1 mark in the last 13 meetings. Iona took a 5-3 win this past Oct. 11 on Ben Cohen Field. Last year, the two teams played to a scoreless draw in New Rochelle.
- The Broncs and Gaels have met four times in the MAAC Championships, with all three prior meetings coming in the quarterfinals in consecutive seasons from Fall 2018 through Spring 2021. Rider took the first meeting, 2-0, on Mazzella Field in 2018, before the Gaels evened the score in 2019, also on Mazzella Field, 2-1. The Broncs then took a 4-1 win in Spring 2021 in Lawrenceville.
- Rider has enjoyed unique success on Mazzella Field in recent years, going 5-1-1 since 2015. Included in the run was a win in the 2018 MAAC Quarterfinals to snap an eight-game unbeaten streak for the Gaels in New Rochelle. The Gaels entered today's match on a 10-game winning streak on Mazzella Field dating back to last season and were 12-0-2 in New Rochelle over the last two seasons. Iona's last non-win at home was a scoreless draw against the Broncs on Oct. 5, 2022.
- Salama made four saves in goal to earn the win for the Broncs.
- Rider used just one substitute in the match, with Luke Kirilenko (McKinney, TX/Impington International College [Virginia]) playing 15 minutes.  
- Salama, Martin Chladek (Prague, Czech Republic/Gymnazium Voderadska [Montevallo]), Saad Chaouki (Montreal, Quebec/Antoine de Saint Exupery), Diene, Zaki Alibou (Meknes, Morocco/Meknes), David Ogbonna (Silver Spring, MD/Blake [Villanova]), Sebastian Rojek (Wayne, NJ/Wayne Hills [Stony Brook]) and Ethan Shaw (Surf City, NJ/Northern Burlington [St. John's]) played all 90 minutes.
- Diop was named MAAC Championship MVP, while Diene, Alibou and Rojek joined him on the MAAC All-Championship Team.
- The Broncs' nine-win improvement ranks as the third-most-dramatic improvement in NCAA Division I men's soccer this season, trailing only Bryant (13) and SIUE (10). 
- Rider's improvement from a .353 winning percentage last season to its current .737 winning percentage (+.384) currently ranks as the fourth-greatest improvement in the nation. 

Broncs By The Numbers
- Diene now has a team-high 12 goals and 27 points. The 12 goals and 27 points eclipsed Alibou's 25 points from 2021 (10 goals, 5 assists) for most by a Bronc since Craig Wicken had 45 points in 1998 (18 goals, 9 assists).
- Diop scored for the fourth time, with all four coming in the last five games, including one in each of the Broncs' three MAAC Championship victories.
- The Gaels took a 14-12 edge in shots. However, the Broncs put six on target to the Gaels' five.
- Rider took seven corner kicks to Iona's five.
- Diop drew the lone yellow card of the game.    

Up Next
- The Broncs now await their NCAA Tournament opponent and destination. The NCAA Tournament Selection Show is scheduled for Monday at 1 p.m. on NCAA.com.