LOUDONVILLE, NY – Zaki Alibou (Meknes, Morocco/Meknes) scored in the 37^th minute and picked up an assist 50 seconds later as the third-seeded Rider University men's soccer team defeated second-seeded Siena, 2-0, in the MAAC Championship Semifinals Thursday afternoon on Hickey Field. With the win, the Broncs' sixth-straight, Rider (11-3-4) moves on to face top-seeded Iona in the MAAC Championship Game on Sunday.

Alibou opened the scoring in the 37^th minute, intercepting Siena goalkeeper Bennet Glinder's distribution and driving to within 25 yards before firing inside the left post for the 1-0 lead. Just 50 seconds later, Adel Al Masude (Brussels, Belgium/GO Lyceum Gent) was played into the right corner by Babacar Diene (Thies, Senegal/CEM Ballabey) before crossing to Alibou in front. Alibou's header was saved on a dive by Glinder, but Momo Diop (Thies, Senegal/Prive Serigne Touba) was there to knock in the rebound for the 2-0 lead, which would stand at the half. Rider did its best to pad the lead even further prior to the half, but Glinder saved Al Masude's free kick ticketed for inside of the left post from 25 yards out with less than a minute remaining in the period.

Rider goalkeeper Adam Salama (Ramle, Israel/Orthodox [Ottawa Univ.]) made four of his five saves in the second half to secure the clean sheet.  

Quotes & Notes
"Gritty. The boys were gritty. In the playoffs, in postseason play, you've got to find ways to get results. It's not always the prettiest thing. We still didn't keep the ball as much as I wanted in the second half. But they just fought and fought and fought and won tackles and just kept battling. So proud of them."

"We were on the road for the first four games. You can look at things positive or you can look at things negative. I just said, 'fellas, to go four games in a row on the road, it's going to get us ready when we need it, when we need to win on the road. I'm so happy for these guys. They work so hard." – Rider Head Coach Chad Duernberger

"It's not the last 12 months, it's the last 19 months. I've been injured since 2021, quarterfinals on this field. Coming back to this field and getting my first goal – in 2021, I played the semifinals and finals without legs. I'm back healthy now and this is the most important thing. I think we're back where we belong, which is the finals."

(On playing Iona in the finals) "That's what I want. To be the best, you've got to beat the best. We're up to this challenge and it's going to be interesting. We're going to give everything and we know what we're capable of." – Rider graduate forward Zaki Alibou

- The Broncs have now advanced to the MAAC Championship Game for the ninth time in 27 years in the league. Rider won MAAC Championships in 1997, 1998, 2015, 2016 and 2018, while finishing as runner up in 2004, 2017 and 2021. Rider's played Marist to a 2-2 draw in its last MAAC Championship appearance, but the top-seeded Red Foxes advanced on PK's. The Broncs' last title came in 2018 at Quinnipiac.
- Rider is 21-10-3 all-time in the MAAC Championships.
- Rider maintains a 15-12-6 lead in the all-time series with Siena, including a season sweep this year. The Broncs took a 1-0 win to open league play on Sept. 16 in Lawrenceville. Luke Kirilenko checked in the 58^th minute and finished Jack McGeechan's cross for the game winner in the 64^th minute. The two teams split a pair of meetings in 2021, with each team winning on the other's home field. Last season, the Broncs and Saints played to a 2-2 tie in Loudonville.
- The Broncs are 4-1-1 all-time against Siena in the MAAC Championships. In the tie in the 2016 semifinals, Rider advanced on PK's and has advanced past the Saints in 5-of-6 playoff opportunities.
- Rider was making its 12^th appearance in the MAAC semifinals.
- Salama made five saves in goal to earn the win for the Broncs.
- Salama, Jack McGeechan (Allendale, NJ/Northern Highlands Regional), Martin Chladek (Prague, Czech Republic/Gymnazium Voderadska [Montevallo]), Diene, Sebastian Rojek (Wayne, NJ/Wayne Hills [Stony Brook]) and Ethan Shaw (Surf City, NJ/Northern Burlington [St. John's]) played all 90 minutes.

Broncs By The Numbers
- The goal was the first of the year for Alibou and his first since Oct. 23, 2021, at Canisius. The 2021 MAAC Offensive Player of the Year played just two games due to injury last season and collected his fifth assist of the year Thursday, good for second on the team.
- Diop scored for the third time, all coming in the last four games.
- The Saints took a 12-11 edge in shots, with both teams putting five on target.  
- Rider took five corner kicks to Siena's four.
- Siena was cautioned twice, while Rider was shown one yellow card.   

Up Next
- The third-seeded Broncs will travel to top-seeded Iona for the MAAC Championship Game on Sunday at Mazzella Field in New Rochelle, NY. The match will be broadcast live on ESPN+. Stay posted to GoBroncs.com and all of the team's social media for the kickoff time and more information.