Wednesday, October 4, 2017
Rider Broncs (7-2-0, 2-0-0 MAAC) vs. Quinnipiac Bobcats (2-6-1, 1-1-0 MAAC)
Location: Lawrenceville, NJ – Ben Cohen Field
Kickoff: 4 p.m.
Live Video – GoBroncs.com
Live Stats – GoBroncs.com
 
What You Need To Know
- The Broncs won seven of their last eight non-conference games, including their first two league games against hOURglass rivals Monmouth and Saint Peter's.  
- Rider is receiving votes in two national polls - the United Soccer Coaches Division I National Poll and the College Soccer News National Rankings – and has sat atop the USC Northeast Regional Rankings for the last two weeks.
- Elliott Otmani scored three goals in wins over Monmouth and Saint Peter's and was named to the College Soccer News National Team of the Week, in addition to MAAC Offensive Player of the Week honors for the week ending Oct. 1.
- 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.
- Defending MAAC Regular Season Champion Quinnipiac is 2-6-1 (1-1-0 MAAC) following a 2-0 win at Niagara last time out. The Bobcats have played a challenging non-conference schedule with two teams ranked in the Top 25 at the time of the match (UMass Lowell, New Hampshire) in addition to contests against perennially-powerful Connecticut and Boston College.
- Rider is 4-2-0 all-time against Quinnipiac, including a pair of 3-1 victories in Hamden last season and four-straight wins over the past two seasons. The Bobcats won the first two meetings in 2013 and 2014 following their move to the MAAC from the Northeast Conference.  
- 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 and Otmani lead the Broncs with five goals apiece, while the freshman also has an assist for a team-best 11 points. Aguinaga and Bourret have each assisted on a team-best six goals this year.
- Clement 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 eight in the first half, eight 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).