Rider hanging tough in MAAC after slow start
Heading into Wednesday’s pivotal MAAC contest with Siena, the Rider women’s soccer team still had the chance to finish anywhere from second to seventh place in the conference.
Regardless of the outcome, just the fact that second place was still in the picture is a testament to the Broncs’ improvement over the past three weeks. Rider entered the match having gone 4-1-2 after an 0-7 start.
A big reason for the turnaround is that everyone is doing their jobs.
“The team is playing well and each area is performing at a high level,” coach Drayson Hounsome said after Saturday’s 4-0 win over Iona. “Attackers are scoring goals, midfielders are dominating possession, defenders are limiting the opponents to just a few opportunities and our keeper is making the big saves when necessary.”
Hounsome felt that Rider had to endure a rugged preseason schedule, and that once the MAAC season began the Broncs started playing more at their own level. But success would only come if his squad continued to improve. With that progress came victories and an increasingly positive mindset within a more balanced league.
“The MAAC is mostly an even conference with a lot of teams of similar level,” Hounsome noted. “I would say last year’s top team is not as strong as 12 months ago and last year’s bottom team is much improved.
“Being able to get success in our style of play has helped get results, which obviously leads to increased confidence and belief in the process. This belief and confidence is being seen in the performances; leading to improvements in each game.”
Rider was 4-8-2 overall and 4-2-2 after defeating Iona. A major contributor has been senior forward Michelle Iacono. The Merrick, N.Y., product leads the team in scoring with seven goals and seven assists, and has six goals and six assists in MAAC play. She has nearly equaled her career totals in one season, as Iacono had eight goals and eight assists in her first three years combined.
“She is playing with confidence and enjoying her soccer and it shows in how she is playing,” Hounsome said. “She is playing great.”
Another key has been the continued progress of freshman goalie Carmen Carbonell. The Valencia, Spain native is second in the MAAC with a 0.85 goals against average “and is the best freshman keeper in the league,” according to Hounsome.
“She is playing well,” the coach continued. “She is eager to improve and is doing so each game and training session. Like Michelle, she is playing confident. I am really happy with the rate of her development.”
Rider concludes the regular season at Manhattan Saturday, and the MAAC Tournament begins Oct. 28 in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. The top five seeds get a bye while the bottom six play first-round games.