In a low-scoring home opener, the Stony Brook men’s soccer team could not nab its first win of the season.
In front of a friendly crowd for the first time in 2024, the Seawolves (0-2-1) hosted the Rider Broncs (1-2) on Thursday night at Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium. Despite being the better side for the majority of the 90 minutes, an 82nd-minute goal by Rider midfielder Bryan Akongo left Stony Brook winless through three matches in this young campaign, as it fell 1-0.
The game-winning tally resulted from a crucial mistake by a Seawolves player. As he was getting pressured by two defenders on the right flank in Stony Brook’s defensive half, defender Jamari Busby played a pass backward that caught his fellow backline mates off guard.
Defender Sean Towey was beaten to the ball by Akongo, who, from the left hash of the box, fired a shot under goalkeeper Rushon Sandy — who sprinted out of his net to meet the threat — to put his team in the driver’s seat.
“A mistake at this level, you get punished,” head coach Ryan Anatol said in a postgame interview with The Statesman. “It was a pass backwards. We were in possession going forward and we decided to turn back and play to the keeper. It was just a bad decision.”
Prior to Akongo’s heroics, the Seawolves had the better goalscoring opportunities to go out in front.
After a pair of shots in the first half, midfielder Trevor Harrison also had Stony Brook’s best second-half chance in the 59th minute. From 20 yards out, Harrison unleashed a shot while on the run that was heading for the net if not for a big hand by Rider goalkeeper Adam Salama.
“If you look at this game, similar to LIU, we had more opportunities, more shots,” Anatol said. “But you gotta put them away. We have to do better in front of goal.”
The Seawolves outshot the Broncs 12 (six shots on goal) to nine (five shots on goal).
Sandy (three) made two fewer saves than Salama (five).
On Tuesday, Stony Brook will remain at Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium for its next game against the George Washington Revolutionaries (1-1). The Revolutionaries will face West Virginia on Friday before taking on the Seawolves. Opening kickoff for Tuesday’s match is set for 6:31 p.m.
