Wednesday, November 1, 2017
Rider Broncs (11-3-2, 6-1-2 MAAC) at Fairfield Stags (10-4-2, 6-1-2 MAAC)
Location: Fairfield, CT – Lessing Field
Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Live Video – Facebook Live
Live Stats – FairfieldStags.com
 
What You Need To Know
- The Broncs are 8-1-2 in their last 11 games, including a scoreless tie against Marist on Saturday.
- Rider can clinch the top seed and home field throughout the MAAC Championships with a win.
- The Broncs can finish no lower than the No. 3 seed. The top two seeds receive a quarterfinal round bye into the semifinals. Quarterfinal games will be played Sunday, Nov. 5, while the semifinals are slated for Thursday, Nov. 9. The Championship Game is scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 12. New this year, each game of the tournament will be played at the higher-seeded team's home field.
- The tournament field is set, with Rider, Fairfield, Canisius, Manhattan, Quinnipiac and Iona all clinching their berths.      
- Should Rider and Fairfield tie and either Canisius or Manhattan win their match against each other, a three-way tie for first place would result at 21 points. Goal differential in MAAC play is the first three-way tie-breaker. The Broncs are currently at +10, while both Canisius and Manhattan are at +9 and Fairfield sits at +5. A Canisius or Manhattan win by one goal would result in Rider taking the top seed, followed by the Canisius/Manhattan winner and then Fairfield, based on a tie at +10 goal differential and the next tie-breaker of record against the highest-seeded remaining teams in descending order (Rider lost at Siena, the lowest-seeded team against which one of the four possible tied teams' suffered a loss). Should Rider/Fairfield end in a tie and Canisius or Manhattan win by multiple goals, the Golden Griffins or Jaspers would take the top seed with a +11 or greater goal differential. Rider would be the No. 2 seed and Fairfield would claim the No. 3 seed.   
- Rider has appeared in the national rankings in each of the last six weeks. After receiving votes for two weeks, the Broncs cracked both the United Soccer Coaches National Poll and the College Soccer News National Poll, coming in as highly as Nos. 22 and 24, respectively. The Broncs currently sit at No. 28 in the College Soccer News Top 30.
- Since a Sept. 30 overtime loss to Canisius, the Stags have not lost (5-0-2), including wins in each of their last three. Most recently, the Stags have defeated Monmouth in double overtime, 2-1 on Oct. 25, and Niagara in overtime, 2-1 on Oct. 28. All of Fairfield's nine MAAC games have been decided by one goal or less.
- Though Fairfield owns a 17-8-1 lead in the all-time series, the Broncs have won the last three regular-season meetings and three of the last four. The lone Stags victory came in the 2014 MAAC Championship Quarterfinals. Outside of that 1-0 setback, the Broncs have scored shutout victories in 2014 (3-0), 2015 (3-0) and 2016 (1-0).  
- 12 of Rider's 16 games this season have been decided by one goal or less, including each of the last six.
- Rider has now won six road games in each of the last three years.
- The Broncs are now an unbeaten 7-0-8 in their last 15 overtime contests dating back to the 2014 season. Rider is 4-0-2 in overtime contests this year with wins over Temple (1-0, Sept. 1), LIU Brooklyn (2-1, Sept. 16), Manhattan (1-0, Oct. 11) and Niagara (2-1, Oct. 14) and draws against Canisius (1-1, Oct. 21) and Marist (0-0, Oct. 28). The last time Rider lost in overtime was the 2013 season finale against Quinnipiac.
- David Pastuna was named MAAC Defensive Player of the Week for the third time this season and the sixth time in his career on Oct. 30 after leading Rider to a 1-0-1 week with a win over Iona and a scoreless tie against Marist. Pastuna allowed just one goal and made seven saves.
- The Broncs scored a 2-1 victory on Oct. 25 at Iona on the strength of a game-winning connection between the Aguinaga Brothers. Sergio served a ball over the defense and into the box, finding Jose at the left post. The senior Spaniard then sent a low shot across the mouth of goal and inside the right post for the game-winner.
- Rider won consecutive overtime contests in dramatic fashion, Oct. 11 and 14. The Broncs took a 1-0 victory over Manhattan on Pablo DeCastro's header off an Elliott Otmani corner in the 109^th minute. Not to be outdone, Jose Aguinaga buried a free kick with six seconds remaining in the 110^th minute at Niagara.
- 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 eight goals and 17 points.
- The Broncs feature two of the top three players on the MAAC assists leaderboard in Jose Aguinaga and Clement Bourret. Aguinaga has dished out nine assists, while Bourret is right behind with eight.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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).