September 12, 2007 - Rider 2 Philadelphia U. 1
September 12, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Men’s College Soccer
Rider University 2, Philadelphia University 1
PHILADELPHIA, Pa.--Freshman Jim Bradley (Sewell, N.J./Washington Township) took a crossing pass from junior Anthony Gilbert (Jamison, Pa./Central Bucks South) and scored with just over one minute left in the second half to give Rider a victory at Philadelphia U. Wednesday. It was the first victory of the season for the Broncs. “Absolutely awesome,” said Rider head coach Russ Fager. “With a young team like this, any win is a good win right now.”
“A lot of hard work by Gilbert made that goal happen,” Bradley said. “He made a great run, I made a cut and he put it right on my foot. All I had to do was touch it in.”
“Gilbert made a great run to the end line, Bradley crashed the goal and got a foot on it,” Fager remembered. “Bradley played very well today. He did a good job for a freshman.”
Rider out-shot Phila. U. 16-7, including 11-3 in the second half, most by Bradley. “Being a freshman is a little nerve-racking, but today I felt pretty good and was able to get a lot of touches,” Bradley said.
Rider (1-3) took a 1-0 lead 20 minutes into the second half when junior Colin Jennings (Wall) sent a long pass up the field which was collected by sophomore Nico Tramontana (Vineland/Sacred Heart), who scored his first goal as a Bronc. “Colin is the team leader and he got us going today,” Fager said.
“To be honest, I miss-hit that long ball and we finally got our first lucky break of the season,” Jennings said. “Everybody’s been working real hard and we’re all just glad to get that first win.”
“We try to do a lot of long serving into the box and with Colin’s long serving it gives us a chance to score,” Fager said.
Phila. U. (0-3-1) tied the score with just 1:29 left, setting up the winning goal by Bradley. “We got a goal and then we got complacent,” Fager said. “Fortunately a couple of youngsters came through for us at the end and won the game for us.”
Junior Randall Zapolski (Lawrence) made one save in the Rider nets. Ezra Cassel made 10 saves for Phila. U.
Rider returns to the City of Brotherly Love Saturday to take on the Hawks of St. Joseph's. The game will be Rider's fifth of the season and fourth in Philadelphia.
Prior to Wednesday's game Rider had scored just one goal this season and allowed four in the first three games. Phila. U. was scoreless and allowed two in its first three games. Both teams played Drexel in their last contest, Phila. U. coming away with a 0-0 tie before Rider fell to the Dragons 1-0.
Rider lost at Philadelphia U. 1-0 in 2005, and the two teams did not meet last season. Rider has won four of the 16 meetings with the Rams, three ended in ties, and the last Rider win was in 2000.
The former Philadelphia Textile is Division II in all sports but men's soccer, and the Rams were nationally ranked in Division I for much of the 1970s and 1980s. Phila. U. still holds the best league record all-time in the Philadelphia Soccer Seven (Penn, Temple, La Salle, Drexel, St. Joe, Villanova) and won the Soccer Seven Championship as recently as 1999 and 2000.
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