HARRISONBURG, VA – The Rider University men's soccer team opened their 2026 campaign with a 1-0 win over James Madison in the Commonwealth on Thursday night. The win against the Dukes comes as the first win against a G5/P4 school since 2017 when the Broncs defeated Temple 1-0 in Philadelphia. With the win, the Broncs start the year with a 1-0-0 record while JMU starts the year off with a 0-0-1 record.
The Dukes threatened early in the 6
th minute, sneaking through the Broncs backline but eventually sending the shot wide for the first chance of the game. Rider got their first legitimate chance in the 17
th minute as
Drew Heil sent a thundering shot from deep in the box from a corner only for his shot to be saved by the JMU shot-stopper.
But the Broncs struck back for the lead six minutes later as
Axel Lucas caused a turnover in the midfield while passing to
Chiemeka Azurunwa in transition. Azurunwa sent a through ball into the final third of the field to meet
Emmanuel Dan-Adokiene, who, through on goal, slid the ball past the goalkeeper at the far post to take the lead. Azurunwa was accredited with the assist.
Trailing the early deficit, JMU found themselves on the counter attack with ten seconds left on the clock in the first half. But
Marius Helias completed a one-on-one save against the Dukes forward while coming down with the ball on the rebound to send the Broncs into halftime with the lead still intact.
The Broncs held possession and hit the Dukes on the counter attack to start the second half with no real chances coming early on. JMU had a chance in the 69
th minute with their own buildup only for Lucas to block the shot inside the six-yard box to prevent the goal.
Rider's defense continued to hold strong late in the second, with
Noah Rose-Smith winning a one-on-one tackle inside the box to snuff out another Dukes chance at goal.
Helias came up with another clutch save late in the second, blocking a shot in the 89
th minute to finish off the final Duke's chance of the night.
Quotes and Notes
"So proud of this group to start the season off by getting a win on the road. I told them before the match they would need to be strong in all areas of the game to come away with a result: in possession, out of possession, set pieces and transitions. They did enough in all areas tonight to get it done. A lot of new players showed well in their debut and several returners have taken a great step forward in their game from last year. This group represented everything our university is about. Tough, resilient, together. Really happy for the players tonight." – Head Coach
Chad Duernberger.
- The Broncs were out shot by the Dukes 14-12 while both sides tied with four shots on goal apiece.
- Rider record eight corner's in the match while JMU recorded five corners.
- Both teams tied with 50% possession with the Bronc's controlling a mammoth 67% possession in the midfield.
- Helias completed four saves in goal to complete his opening day clean sheet.
- Heil, Dan-Adokiene, Ryan Vaubel, and Daniel Grider all recorded one shot on goal in the match.
- Michael Holliday, Ryan Kuldanek, Sawyer Koza, Carter Schmitz, Landon Lackner, and Daniel Grider all made their debuts for the Broncs against JMU on Thursday.
- Dan-Adokiene, Azurunwa, Rose-Smith, Lucas, and Gavin Faracchio made their collegiate debut on Thursday night in Harrisonburg.
Up Next
The Broncs return to action on Friday, August 28, facing off against Howard in their home opener at 7:00 p.m. in Lawrenceville.
