POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y.
- The Marist men's soccer team received a much needed win Friday night in their conference
matchup versus Rider. In a final push for a first round bye in the upcoming
MAAC Tournament, the Red Foxes (7-6-4, 3-4-1 MAAC) secured three points in the
standings with a 3-0 win over the Broncs (3-12-1, 2-6 MAAC). Three Red Foxes
recorded goals in the victory: freshman Matt Wendelken (Massapequa, N.Y.), senior
Troy Confessore (Kendall Park, N.J.) and senior Krystian Witkowski (Rochester,
N.Y.)
In a fairly even game in terms of possession, Marist and
Rider exchanged scoring opportunities during the first 25 minutes of play. During
this span of action, where the play flowed from end to end, the Broncs had a
slight 4-3 advantage in shots, with each team recording a shot on goal. The Red
Foxes' attempt began with some quick, flashy dribbling by Witkowski before he
back heeled the ball to Wendelken, who was met from close on by Rider's
goalkeeper Matt Perrella.
The Red Foxes were able to convert their second shot on
target at 26:50 as Wendelken flicked a header into the back of the net off of a
free kick by sophomore Tony Carreras (Valley Stream, N.Y.), who played a high
boot from 40 yards out into the six-yard box. This assist marked the first-ever
point in Carreras' young career.
The final 18:10 of the first half closed out without any
scoring. Both the shots and shots on goal statistical categories were tied
after 45 minutes at 6-6 and 2-2, respectively.
Coming out in the second half up by one goal, the Red
Foxes immediately put pressure on the Broncs in the offensive end. Within the
first eight minutes, the team had taken three shots and two corner kicks. Their
persistence paid off in the 55th minute as senior Lucas Szabo
(Bethesda, Md.) played a perfectly placed ball from the middle of the field out
to the right wing where he found a charging Confessore. After a few touches,
Confessore ripped a shot from the edge of the goal box past Perrella.
Marist netted their third goal at 77:12 when Witkowski
converted a penalty kick after junior Stephan Brossard (Port Washington, N.Y.)
drew a foul as he drove towards the goal.
Neither team sustained much of an offensive presence over
the final 12 minutes, as the Red Foxes earned their seventh win and sixth clean
sheet of the season.
Grad student Steve Skonieczny (LaGrangeville, N.Y.) made
three saves in the shutout.
For the game, Marist outshot Rider 15-12 with a 5-3
advantage in shots on goal. The Red Foxes also earned seven corner kicks to the
Broncs' one.
After the game head coach Matt Viggiano remarked that he
"was very pleased with the result. We played a solid game, where we put
together to good halves of soccer. Putting three goals on the scoreboard is a
nice positive. Going into Senior Day with a win is a great. We've positioned
ourselves well to earn a top six position and that all important first round
bye at the MAAC Championship."
The Red Foxes will close out their 2011 regular season on
Sunday, Oct. 30 when they host Loyola in a 1 p.m. matchup. Prior to the contest,
the Marist athletic department will honor Troy Confessore, Tim Garger, Alex
George, Fred Osborne, Lucas Szabo and Krystian Witkowski, who'll make their final
appearance at Tenney Stadium.
