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Celebration Saint Joseph's
Chase Boggs
1
Saint Joseph's SJU (0-3-0, 0-0-0)
3
Winner Rider RID (2-2-0, 0-0-0)
Saint Joseph's SJU
(0-3-0, 0-0-0)
1
Final
3
Rider RID
(2-2-0, 0-0-0)
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Saint Joseph's SJU 1 0 1
Rider RID 2 1 3

Game Recap: Men's Soccer |

Men's Soccer Earns 3-1 Victory Over Saint Joseph's in Home Opener

Akongo, Diop and Da Silva score goals for Rider

LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ – Bryan Akongo (London, England/Harris Academy Orpington [Georgia State/Robert Morris]) scored for the second-straight game and also added an assist as the Rider University men's soccer team earned a 3-1 victory over Saint Joseph's in its home opener Monday afternoon on Ben Cohen Field. With the win, the Broncs improve to 2-2-0, while the Hawks fall to 0-3.

Akongo opened the scoring just 5:28 into the first half. Cole Sotack (Doylestown, PA /Central Bucks East [Rutgers]) sent a cross from the right sideline that was played down at the left post by Jakub Strapek (Bratislava, Slovakia/Gaudeamus/Cambridge International School). Akongo then finished from inside the six-yard box with the left foot for a 1-0 lead. The Hawks would even the score in the 10th minute, with Blake Driehuis scoring on a penalty kick after a foul inside the box.

The Broncs retook the lead in the 30th minute, with Momo Diop (Thies, Senegal/Prive Serigne Touba) finishing for his first goal of the year. Ezra Punselie (Nieuw-Vennep, Netherlands/Zaanlands Lyceum) made a short pass from within the 18-yard box to Akongo who quickly played it on to Diop, who made one strong dribble toward goal and finished low past Saint Joseph's keeper Lars Haavie for what proved to be the game-winning goal.

Rider would add an insurance goal in the 49th minute, with Theo Da Silva (Sao Paulo, Brazil/University of Rio Grande) running down a ball knocked out by the Hawks' defense following a corner kick and striking low inside the left post for the 3-1 lead.

Quotes & Notes
"We wanted to show our team early on, being our first game at Ben Cohen, and try to push the game and the tempo and get on the scoresheet early. That's been something we've really focused on the last couple of games. It didn't happen at Stony Brook. We got the game winner in the 82nd minute. But it happened today, so I was really happy to see us get one early."

"The relationships are starting to build, which is great to see. We've grown. I was showing them video of Stony Brook last game to show them proof that we've grown every single game. I thought the combination play in the final third and runs off the ball, you could see there's more connections than ever." – Rider Head Coach Chad Duernberger

- Rider cut Saint Joseph's lead in the all-time series to 20-15-6 with its third-straight win over the Hawks. The Broncs are 4-0-1 against Saint Joseph's in the last five meetings, dating back to 2013.
- Da Silva and Luis Pimentel (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic/Worcester Academy) each made their Rider debuts in the match.  
- Adam Salama (Ramle, Israel/Orthodox [Ottawa Univ.]) made two saves in goal for the Broncs.
- Salama, Cole Sotack (Doylestown, PA /Central Bucks East [Rutgers]), Martin Chladek (Prague, Czech Republic/Gymnazium Voderadska [Montevallo]), Andrew Erickson (San Antonio, TX/International School of the Americas [Kentucky]) and Max Schrader (Cherry Hill, NJ/Scholar Athletes Leadership Academy) each played all 90 minutes.

Broncs By The Numbers
- Akongo scored his team-leading second goal and added his first assist as a Bronc for a team-leading five points on the year. He now has nine goals for his collegiate career.
- Diop scored for the first time this season and the fifth time in his Rider career.
- Da Silva's goal was his first as a Bronc.
- Sotack, Punselie and Strapek also picked up their first assists of the year.
- Rider took a 15-7 edge in shots, including a 4-3 advantage in shots on goal.
- The Hawks were cautioned twice to Rider's one yellow card.
- Rider took seven corner kicks to the Hawks' five.

Up Next
- The Broncs return to action Saturday, when they travel to George Washington. Kickoff from Washington, DC, is scheduled for 1 p.m. on ESPN+.
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