LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ – Luke Kirilenko (McKinney, TX/Impington International College [Virginia]) scored his first collegiate goal as the Rider University men's soccer team blanked Siena, 1-0, in the MAAC opener for both teams Saturday afternoon on Ben Cohen Field. With the win, the Broncs (3-1-2, 1-0-0 MAAC) extend to a five-game unbeaten streak (3-0-2), while the Saints fall to 0-5-0 (0-1-0 MAAC).

The first half saw the Broncs take a commanding 11-2 edge in shots, including a 6-0 margin on target, but ended with the match still scoreless.

Perhaps Siena's best chance came in the 62^nd minute, when the Saints were awarded an indirect free kick just outside the top, left corner of the six-yard box. A quick touch from Lee Mara to Magnus Saaby's shot went low into the Broncs' wall and was deflected harmlessly away by David Ogbonna (Silver Spring, MD/Blake [Villanova]).

Five and a half minutes after checking in for the first time in the 58^th minute, Kirilenko scored the game-winning goal in the 64^th minute. Momo Diop (Thies, Senegal/Prive Serigne Touba) played Jack McGeechan (Allendale, NJ/Northern Highlands Regional) wide and McGeechan sent a cross through the box that was let on by both Babacar Diene (Thies, Senegal/CEM Ballabey) and Ethan Gregory (Oakton, VA/Oakton [Maryland]) to the waiting Kirilenko, who threaded a shot between a Siena defender and goalkeeper Bennet Glinder on one touch inside the left post for the 1-0 lead.

The Broncs withstood Siena's final effort, in which the Saints took six of the final seven shots, including three that forced sophomore goalkeeper Adam Salama (Ramle, Israel/Orthodox [Ottawa Univ.]) to make stops.  

Quotes & Notes
"It's huge for us to get off to a good start and really pleased and happy for the boys."

(On Luke Kirilenko) "I'll tell you what, that guy trains the same every single day. He's got a great mentality and positive outlook on everything. If he doesn't play a game, he still trains hard and does everything the right way. If he plays a lot, he still trains hard and does everything the right way. So when you do those types of things, it ends up paying off for you. I think the ball landed for him in the perfect place and he took his chance well. You really are always so happy as a coach when you know a guy is doing everything the right way and it pays off for him. So I'm really happy for him." – Rider Head Coach Chad Duernberger

- Rider maintains a 14-12-6 lead in the all-time series with Siena. 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.
- Salama made four saves in his second-straight clean sheet and his third of the year.
- The Broncs' current five-game unbeaten streak is the programs' first since winning five straight – the final two of the regular season and three in the MAAC Tournament – in 2018.
- Rider's most recent unbeaten streak of more than five games came in 2017, when the Broncs rattled off seven-straight wins from Sept. 16-Oct. 14, 2017.   
- The Broncs won their MAAC opener for the first time in three years. Rider had registered at least one point in each league opener from 2016-Spring 2021.
- Salama, McGeechan, Martin Chladek (Prague, Czech Republic/Gymnazium Voderadska [Montevallo]), Sebastian Rojek (Wayne, NJ/Wayne Hills [Stony Brook]) and Ethan Shaw (Surf City, NJ/Northern Burlington [St. John's]) each played all 90 minutes.
- It was the sixth-straight 90-minute efforts for Salama, Chladek, Rojek and Shaw to begin the season.

Broncs By The Numbers
- The goal was the first of Kirilenko's collegiate career. A sophomore who played club soccer in Fall 2022 and was on the Division I roster at the University of Virginia for Spring 2023, Kirilenko scored in just his sixth Division I match.
- McGeechan and Diop collected their first assists of the season. McGeechan now has four assists for his Rider career after three helpers in 2022, while Diop now has two assists as a Bronc.
- The Broncs took a 20-12 edge in shots, including an 8-4 edge in shots on goal.
- Rider took five corner kicks to the Saints' three.
- Both teams were cautioned twice in the game.  

Up Next
- The Broncs return to non-conference play with a 5 p.m. home match against La Salle. Kickoff from Ben Cohen Field is scheduled for 5 p.m. on BroncVision.