LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ – The Rider University men's soccer team will face the University of Vermont in the NCAA Tournament First Round, the NCAA announced during its annual selection show this afternoon. The Broncs will travel to Burlington, Vt., on Thursday, Nov. 17, to face the Catamounts, who earned an at-large bid after posting a 12-5-1 overall record in the America East Conference. The winner will then face 12th-seeded Virginia for the Second Round in Charlottesville, Va.   

The Broncs (13-3-3) went unbeaten in their last nine games (7-0-2) to earn the MAAC's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. Included in the run was a pair of 3-1 road wins at MAAC Regular Season Champion Quinnipiac.

“(Vermont Head Coach Jesse Cormier) has done a really good job getting the program to where it's at now,” said Rider Head Coach Charlie Inverso. “We'll find out more about them, but it's not a team that we'd be familiar with and they probably don't know a lot about us. Playing (in the NCAA Tournament) last year, it's not going to be as overwhelming, just in terms of all the logistics stuff. Last year was just new to everyone. And these guys just don't get fazed by too many things.”