Sunday, October 29, 2017
2017 MAAC Championships
#6 Rider Broncs (5-9-3, 4-3-3 MAAC) vs. #3 Quinnipiac Bobcats (8-6-3, 5-2-3 MAAC)
Location: Lake Buena Vista, FL – ESPN's Wide World of Sports Complex
Kickoff: 11 a.m.
Live Video – None
Live Stats – MAACSports.com
 
What You Need To Know
- The sixth-seeded Broncs take on No. 3 Quinnipiac in the quarterfinals of the MAAC Championships, Sunday morning at ESPN's Wide World of Sports Complex. The winner of Sunday's match will move on to the semifinals on Tuesday at 2 p.m.
- Rider advanced to the quarterfinals with a 3-1 win over 11^th-seeded Saint Peter's on Saturday. Valeria Pascuet, Ellie Smith and Meghan McCabe each scored goals in the victory.
- The two teams played to a 1-1 draw on Oct. 4 in Hamden. Sam Picinich scored the equalizer in the 85^th minute after Quinnipiac's Nadya Gill opened the scoring in the 4^th minute.
- Rider leads the all-time series with the Bobcats, which only dates back to 2013 when Quinnipiac joined the MAAC, by a 3-1-1 margin. After Quinnipiac took the opener of the series in 2013, Rider won the next three, prior to the 1-1 tie this season.
- Quinnipiac closed out the regular season with two wins and a tie to claim the No. 3 seed. Gill leads the Bobcats and the MAAC in goals (11), assists (9) and points (31).
- The Broncs have reached the MAAC semifinals in 11 of the last 19 years. Rider won the MAAC Championship Tournament in 2014, advancing to the NCAA Championship Tournament for the first time. 2014 was the third time Rider reached the MAAC Title Game (2004, 2002).
- Rider ended the regular season with a 1-1 draw at second-seeded Manhattan. Michelle Iacono scored the equalizer in the 85^th minute, her team-leading eighth of the season and her second equalizer in the 85^th minute or later this year (Sept. 30 vs. Niagara).
- Rider University Women's Soccer has partnered with Vs. Cancer this season to raise awareness and funds for childhood cancer. The fundraiser will last throughout the season. In partnership with Vs. Cancer, 50 percent of the money raised will fund national brain tumor research efforts through the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation, while the other half goes directly to the pediatric oncology unit at Saint Peter's University Hospital.
- Iacono leads the Broncs with eight goals, seven assists and 23 points, while Kourtney Cunningham is next on the list with five goals, three assists and 13 points. Iacono scored each twice against Fairfield and Canisius and added single goals against Manhattan, Iona, Niagara and Bucknell. She added two assists each against Saint Peter's and Fairfield, while tallying single helpers against Iona, Quinnipiac and Temple. Cunningham scored once each against Wagner, NJIT, Saint Peter's, Fairfield and Iona and assisted on Iacono's goals against Niagara and Iona. She also set up Pascuet's game-winner over Saint Peter's in the MAAC Championship First Round.
- After splitting minutes in goal with Amy Kozlowski for much of the non-conference season, freshman Carmen Carbonell seized the position and posted a 0.66 goals-against average and an .837 save percentage in MAAC play. She secured all four of Rider's wins and earned three shutouts.
- Following a 2-0 week, Iacono and Carbonell were honored with MAAC weekly awards on Sept. 25. For her two goals and four assists against Saint Peter's and Fairfield, Iacono earned Co-MAAC Player of the Week. Carbonell earned MAAC Rookie of the Week after allowing just one goal in the two games and recording her first collegiate shutout.
- Carbonell made a season-high eight saves on Sept. 16 at Marist and posted her first collegiate shutout on Sept. 20 against Saint Peter's.
- Ellie Smith returned to the Broncs after leading the team in scoring in 2016 (eight goals, five assists, 21 points). She was a 2016 All-MAAC First Team and All-ECAC Honorable Mention selection. Smith had three goals and an assist in the season's first nine games before suffering a knee injury. She attempted to come back on Senior Day, Oct. 14 against Iona, but was reinjured just minutes into the game. However, she again battled back and scored a goal in her return, Oct. 28 against Saint Peter's.
- The Broncs returned eight players in 2017 who started at least 12 games in 2016.
- Smith and junior back Meghan McCabe were named to the Preseason All-MAAC Team.
- A three-year starter on the Broncs' back line, senior Emily Schmitt was named team captain this year.