LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ – The Iona College men's soccer team lost its season opener, 1-0, at Rider on Thursday evening. The Broncs scored the only goal of the match early in the second half, holding off a late surge from the Maroon & Gold.
MATCH SUMMARY
Iona played a physical half at the rain-soaked Ben Cohen Field in Lawrenceville, New Jersey. The Gaels were whistled for multiple fouls in the ensuing minutes after the opening kickoff, amounting to nothing more than a harmless free kick for the Broncs. Following a change in possession, Iona's
Federico Russo tried the first shot of the season for the Maroon & Gold, misfiring from just outside the 18-yard box.
Rider's Pablo DeCastro fired a shot towards
Gabriel Cinanni, Iona's starting goalkeeper for the season opener, but it sailed past the cage to the left. Just about 10 minutes later, DeCastro tried another shot, this time forcing Cinanni to make his first save of the evening.
The physical play of the Gaels continued as the half progressed, eventually resulting in yellow cards being assessed. Rider's Brendan Fisher and Iona's
Jon Paul Fernandez were handed cards in the 27
th and 30th minute, respectively.
Ignacio Antequera-Sanchez had the best chance of any scorer in the first half, guiding a shot on net from inside the penalty spot that was stopped by Pablo Gatinois.
A foul by
Alessio Hernandez allowed Rider a free kick, which directly led to the first goal of the night. Guillaume Vacter put one past Cinanni in the lower right quadrant of the cage, giving the Broncs a 1-0 lead in the 54th minute.
Minutes later, freshman
Elird Mero was given a yellow card, allowing Rider another opportunity to score. Francisco Olano's shot missed high left however, and the match remained 1-0. DeCastro would be given another chance to get on the scoresheet in the 63rd minute, but his shot from inside the box sailed high.
The Gaels did not have another shot until the 74th minute, a second attempt from the foot of Russo that missed the net. Over the final 15 minutes of action, Iona sent three shots towards net, attempting to find an equalizer. Gatinois stopped two of the three shots, the other was blocked by a member of the Rider backline. The Gaels late push came up short, dropping the Gaels to 0-1-0 on the season.
NOTABLE NUGGETS
- Iona finished with six shots, three of which were on goal. Antequera-Sanchez, Esad Mackic and Thiago Cagna registered shots on net.
- Six different Gaels played all 90 minutes: Antequera-Sanchez, Cinanni, Joseph Cusano, Christian Geddes, Mero and Russo.
- Five yellow cards were assessed in the first match of the season. Fernandez, Geddes and Mero were the three Gaels who were handed a card.
- Cinanni faced eight shots, making one stop and allowing just the one goal.
- Rider's Gatinois made three saves to earn the clean sheet.
AROUND THE MAAC
- Quinnipiac topped Fairfield in overtime, 1-0, on a golden goal by Alex Holle.
- Siena earned its first win of the season, 3-2, over Canisius.
- Monmouth hosts Manhattan at 7:00 p.m. in West Long Branch, New Jersey.
UP NEXT
The Maroon & Gold host Monmouth on Sunday, March 21 at 1:00 p.m. on Mazzella Field. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+ and fans can follow along via live stats.
SOCIAL MEDIA
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