Wednesday, October 11, 2017
Rider Broncs (8-2-0, 3-0-0 MAAC) vs. Manhattan Jaspers (7-4-0, 4-0-0 MAAC)
Location: Lawrenceville, NJ – Ben Cohen Field
Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Live Video – GoBroncs.com
Live Stats – GoBroncs.com
 
What You Need To Know
- The Broncs won eight of their last nine non-conference games, including their first three league games against hOURglass rivals Monmouth and Saint Peter's and 2017 MAAC preseason favorite Quinnipiac.  
- After two weeks receiving votes, Rider cracked two national polls this week. Rider is ranked No. 25 in the United Soccer Coaches National Poll and No. 30 in the College Soccer News National Poll. The Broncs have sat atop the USC Northeast Regional Rankings for the last three weeks.
- Elliott Otmani was named MAAC Offensive Player of the Week in consecutive weeks, Oct. 2 and 9. The senior scored a pair of goals against Monmouth, added another against Saint Peter's and scored both of the Broncs' tallies against Quinnipiac. Otmani was also named to the College Soccer News National Team of the Week for the week ending Oct. 1. Otmani now leads the Broncs with seven goals and 14 points.
- Manhattan (7-4-0, 4-0-0 MAAC) is the only other unbeaten team in the MAAC besides the Broncs. The Jaspers have been buoyed by strong defensive play, having not conceded a goal in four MAAC games. Sophomore goalkeeper Marcellin Gohier has taken the last two MAAC Defensive Player of the Week awards and has posted a sterling stat line of a 0.43 goals-against average, .909 save percentage, five individual shutouts and a combined clean sheet. The Jaspers have gone 6-1-0 in games he's started, with all six wins being shutouts.
- Rider is 12-4-5 all-time against Manhattan, including an 8-2-4 record over the last 14 meetings and a 4-1-1 mark under Head Coach Charlie Inverso. Following three-straight Rider wins from 2013-15, the two teams played to a 1-1 draw last Oct. 12 in Riverdale.   
- The Broncs feature the top two players on the MAAC assists leaderboard in Clement Bourret and Jose Aguinaga. Bourret has dished out eight assists, while Aguinaga is close behind with seven.
- Freshman Mathis Catanzaro was named MAAC Rookie of the Week on Oct. 2 after scoring the game-winning goal against Saint Peter's and totaling three assists in two wins over the Peacocks and Monmouth. Catanzaro became the third different Bronc to earn the honor this year, joining Pablo DeCastro and Sylvain Coco.
- A familiar name and face made his Rider debut off the bench against Villanova. Freshman back Sergio Aguinaga, the younger brother of senior forward Jose Aguinaga, came off the bench and played 31 minutes.  Two games later, he made his first start and contributed an assist in the Broncs' 2-1 win at No. 21 Fairleigh Dickinson.
- DeCastro is second on the team with 11 points (five goals, one assist).
- Bourret scored the golden goal in the 94^th minute against Temple and had the assist on Sylvain Coco's game-winner against La Salle.
- Coco earned MAAC Rookie of the Week on Sept. 11 for his game-winning goal against La Salle, following DeCastro's turn earning the same honor on Sept. 4 for his game-winner against Seton Hall and assist on Bourret's game-winner at Temple. DeCastro later earned the honor again on Sept. 25 for his game-winning goal at No. 21 Fairleigh Dickinson.
- DeCastro also scored in the season opener against Lehigh. He's second on the team with five points (two goals, one assist).
- David Pastuna was named MAAC Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 4 after compiling nine saves and allowing just one goal in a pair of wins against Seton Hall and Temple. He repeated the honor on Sept. 25 with three saves in a victory at No. 21 Fairleigh Dickinson.
- A year after scoring 78 percent (28-of-36) of its goals after halftime, the trend had continued in 2017 prior to the La Salle match. Rider had scored four of its first five goals this season in the second half or overtime prior to netting a pair of tallies in the first half against the Explorers. The split is currently a very even nine in the first half, nine in the second and one each in the first and second overtimes.
- The Broncs return six starters from their second-straight MAAC Championship squad in 2016, including their top three goal scorers from a year ago in Elliott Otmani (6 goals, 8 assists), Jose Aguinaga (5 goals, 9 assists) and Clement Bourret (8 goals, 2 assists).
- A two-time All-MAAC First Team selection and a 2016 NSCAA All-Northeast Region pick, Aguinaga was named 2017 MAAC Preseason Player of the Year.
- Otmani and Bourret joined Aguinaga on the Preseason All-MAAC Team. Otmani was a 2016 All-MAAC Second Team honoree, while Bourret was named to the All-Rookie Team.
- TopDrawerSoccer.com named Aguinaga (#1), Bourret (#4), Otmani (#8) and Arthur Herpreck (#12) among the Top 20 players in the MAAC.
- Arguably the Broncs' biggest loss to graduation was 2017 Second Team All-American Christian Flath. Flath became Rider's fifth All-American of all-time and the first since 1972.
- Rider has won four MAAC Championships in its 20 years in the league, including back-to-back titles in its first two years in the league (1997-98) and the most recent two years (2015-16).