George Washington University Athletics
George Washington University
Rider
Men’s Soccer Hosts Rider on Saturday
9/6/2024 10:41:00 AM | Men's Soccer
GW Revs look for win on Alumni Weekend
WASHINGTON - The George Washington men's soccer team returns to the GW Soccer Field at the Mount Vernon Athletic Complex for the first time in almost two weeks when it hosts Rider on Saturday. The Revolutionaries will welcome and honor alumni of the program and will look to improve to 2-1-0 on home field. Kickoff on The Vern is set for 1:00 p.m. and the match will be streamed on ESPN+.
WELCOME BACK ALUMNI
GW men's soccer welcomes back alumni of the program to the GW Soccer Field on Saturday. The program will host a welcome back barbeque at 12:00 p.m. on The Vern prior to the match vs. Rider along with other festivities to make for a special weekend.
RETURN OF THE MAAC
For the second-straight home match, GW will host an opponent from the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC). The Revolutionaries hosted Saint Peter's on Aug. 25, which resulted in a 2-1 GW comeback victory. The Broncs may present more of a challenge than the Peacocks did in August, as Rider was selected second in the MAAC preseason poll, whereas Saint Peter's was picked 10th. Rider and GW have already faced a common opponent this season in Stony Brook. Stony Brook took down GW earlier this week in a 3-0 victory, but fell to the Broncs in a 1-0 defeat.
ABOUT THE OPPONENT
Rider comes to The Vern on Saturday as winners of two straight matches, beating Stony Brook, 1-0, on Aug. 29 and more recently defeating Saint Joseph's, 3-1, on Sept. 2. The wins came after starting the season 0-2, with losses at No. 13 Virginia (3-0) and at Lehigh (1-0). Rider is the defending MAAC Tournament Champions, after going 14-4-4 (6-2-2 MAAC) and making an NCAA Tournament appearance. The Broncs were eliminated in the first round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament, falling 3-1 at Vermont.
Rider's leading scorer from last season, Babacar Diene (13 goals, 3 assists), did not return after his senior season. However, the Broncs returned their second-leading scorer from 2024 in Adel Al Masude (4 goals, 3 assists). To start 2024, Georgia State transfer Bryan Akongo has paced the Broncs with two goals and one assist. Adam Salama was Rider's main goalkeeper last season and has returned for 2024. Salama has a career 1.13 goals against average and a .750 save percentage.
GW leads the all-time series over Rider, 4-2-1. The programs last met in 2010 at the GW Soccer Field, resulting in a 2-0 Buff & Blue victory.
