FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Fairfield University men's soccer team put together a rousing comeback bid against Rider University in tonight's Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) match, rallying from a two-goal deficit before falling by a 3-2 margin against the Broncs. Senior Alex Oliveira scored both Fairfield goals in the second half.

Fairfield started the match by moving the ball throughout the Rider side of the pitch and set up several scoring chances. The first two shots for the Stags required action by the Rider goalkeeper, beginning with Alex Oliveira's redirect off a cross that nearly caught the lower right corner. Dylan Medeiros was next in line for Fairfield as the forward put a shot on target that was scooped by goalkeeper Guillaume Veinante.

Rider scored the game's first goal 10 minutes into the half on its first shot of the match when Guillaume Sarrabayrouse converted a pass from Adel Al-Masude that found the lower part of the goal. The Broncs continued to show their efficiency when they raised their lead to two goals after Lenny Cidolit managed to put his head on a ball that was delivered by Al-Masude for his second assist of the game.

The Stags started the second half facing that two-goal deficit despite holding a 7-4 edge in shots during the first 45 minutes. While they applied pressure through the first half without getting any results, the second half seemed to hold a better outcome. In the first eight minutes, Fairfield managed to earn two corner kicks with each one producing a shot.

In the 58^th minute, Fairfield broke through the Rider back line when Joseph Lozowski found Alex Oliveira open inside the box. The senior was able to send a strong shot toward goal that beat Veinante to the near post and put the Stags on the scoreboard.

Fairfield tied the game in the 78^th minute, securing two scoring chances in a matter of seconds with the latter being the more successful attempt. Raz Amir worked his way into the box to start the stretch and released a shot that required a goalkeeper save. The ball hit the post off the save and caromed back to Oliveira who patiently accepted the rebound and hit a volley that found the space just inside the near post to make the score 2-2.

With time winding down in the closing minutes, Rider was able to find a way to earn three points in the MAAC standings with some solid play inside the box with under five minutes remaining in the match. Al-Masude registered his third assist of the game when he found Regis Dulck in the middle of the box. He sent a ball high which Dulck was able to get a header off and push the ball into the far corner of the goal.

The Stags made a valiant effort to play for the draw in those final seconds when Joseph Lozowski had a chance at the top of the box but his shot skipped just wide of the far post to keep Rider in front.

Fairfield goalkeeper James Anderson made three saves during his 90 minutes of work while Veinante was credited for six stops.

The Stags will continue their three-match home stand when they host Saint Peter's University on Wednesday night at 7 pm. The home stand concludes on October 15 when Canisius College comes to campus for a 1 pm start. Both matches will be played at Lessing Field.