LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. – The Saint Joseph's men's soccer team earned its second shutout of the season Tuesday evening, playing Rider to a 0-0 draw on Ben Cohen Field.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Jake Ross nearly opened the scoring twice in the first minute. His first-time effort curled toward the left corner but was parried away by the Rider goalkeeper. On the ensuing corner kick, the senior forward rose for a header, but the attempt was again turned away by the keeper.
- Alex Smith came up with a pair of saves in the first half, including a sprawling stop in the 30th minute that sent the ball off the crossbar and out for a Rider corner kick.
- The teams remained deadlocked at 0-0 heading into halftime.
- An in-swinging corner kick found the head of Diego Avelar in the 75th minute, but the center back nodded his attempt just wide of the post, spurning the best opportunity of the half.
- Smith made a crucial save late in the match as a low-driven shot appeared destined for the far post before the freshman goalkeeper stretched out to parry the attempt away for a corner kick.
- Both teams sent chances wide of the post in the final 10 minutes as the match ended in a scoreless draw.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Both teams recorded 17 shots, with each side putting six attempts on target.
- Rider held a 5-3 advantage in corner kicks.
- Marko Marić, Charlie Undorf and Sebastian Perez-Gasiba each made their first starts of the season, while Cristian Oliveira made his first appearance of the year.
- Smith's six saves were a season best through four matches. The freshman goalkeeper also recorded his second shutout of the season.
- Saint Joseph's improved to 9-10-3 all-time at Rider, while the Hawks' record in the series moved to 21-15-7.
- The Hawks are unbeaten through their first four matches for the first time since 2002. Saint Joseph's has allowed just two goals through four matches, a mark that ranks second in program history behind the 1971 team, which allowed one, and matches the 1993 team for the second fewest.
- Saint Joseph's four-match unbeaten streak is its longest since 2021.
UP NEXT
Saint Joseph's returns home for a three-game homestand, beginning with LIU on Saturday, Sept. 12. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m.
