After over 100 minutes of play, one whistle decided it all. The Rider Broncs came into Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium on Tuesday, Sept. 24 and walked away with a narrow 2-1 victory thanks to a late penalty that set up redshirt-junior midfielder Mathis Catanzaro for the game-winning shot.
Stony Brook closely contested Rider throughout the match, and even managed to get ahead early. Redshirt-junior midfielder Gabriel Fernandes found an opportunity in the 14th minute, receiving the ball from junior midfielder Kori Cupid and funneling it to senior striker Jarred Dass. Dass connected on a shot from 20 yards out and found the back of the net for the fifth time this season, tying him for second in the America East. Dass continues to be the engine for the Stony Brook offense, finding 62% of the team’s goals this season.
The Seawolves were unable to bring their slim lead with them into halftime, however. A yellow card assigned to freshman midfielder Birkir Gudmundsson in the 45th minute gave the Broncs a penalty kick, and redshirt-junior forward Pablo DeCastro converted the chance to tie the game.
Stony Brook was unfortunate to lose their lead before halftime, but was able to hold on and force overtime after the second half. Rider was able to entrench themselves in Stony Brook’s half of the field, creating eight shots to Stony Brook’s three. Rider dominated the opening tempo of the second half, and forced freshman goalkeeper Edmond Kaiser to make three saves within a span of fifteen minutes.
Still, the Seawolves managed to hold their ground and force overtime. Both sides were unable to do much in the first overtime, as a shot from Dass in the 97th minute was the only competitive attempt to break the tie. The Broncs at last had success in the second overtime when a foul from Cupid gave up a free kick. Catanzaro took the opportunity, curled his shot around the bottom-left post and the Broncs walked away the victors.
Stony Brook sits at 2-5-1 after falling to Rider, and now have to begin their America East scheduling. Vermont will be their first test as the Catamounts play Stony Brook on Saturday, Sept. 28 at 7 p.m. Vermont is 4-3 this season, and completed a shutout victory in their last match on Saturday, Sept. 21.
