Sunday, November 12, 2017
#2 Rider Broncs (12-4-2, 6-2-2 MAAC) at #1 Fairfield Stags (11-4-3, 7-1-2 MAAC)
Location: Fairfield, CT – Lessing Field
Kickoff: 5 p.m.
Live Video – MAAC.tv
Live Stats – FairfieldStags.com
Tickets – MAACSports.com ($10 Adult; $5 Student/Child/Senior)
 
What You Need To Know
- The Broncs have reached the MAAC Championship Game for the third-straight year, becoming the fifth program in MAAC history to make three-straight MAAC Championship Game appearances. Rider joins Monmouth (2013-15), Loyola (1989-97, 2001-03, 2007-09), Fairfield (1998-2002) and La Salle (1988-90).
- Rider is attempting to become just the second program in MAAC history and the only active MAAC institution to win three-straight championships. Loyola won eight-straight from 1989-96 before the Broncs defeated the Greyhounds in the 1997 Championship Game.
- Both Rider and Fairfield are playing for their fifth MAAC Championship, which will put the winner alone in second all-time in conference history. Loyola won 12 men's soccer championships.
- Rider is 4-1 all-time in MAAC Championship Games. The lone setback came at home to Marist in 2004.  
- The Broncs reached the MAAC Championship Game with a 3-1 victory over Canisius in the semifinals on Thursday. After going down, 1-0, on a penalty kick in the eighth minute, the Broncs scored three times in a span of just over eight minutes, with the final goal coming at 26:46.
- Freshman Pablo DeCastro had arguably his most complete game of the year with a goal and two assists in the MAAC Semifinals against Canisius. His tally in the 23^rd minute proved to be the game-winner.
- Senior Elliott Otmani assisted on DeCastro's game winner and added a goal of his own off a DeCastro assist in the 27^th minute to push his team-leading totals to nine goals and 20 assists. DeCastro is right on his heels at eight goals and 19 points.
- Sylvain Coco equalized in the 19^th minute against Canisius, deflecting it inside the right post off DeCastro's ball played back in off a defended corner.
- Rider sat atop the MAAC standings all the way until the final night of the season, when Fairfield overtook the Broncs for the MAAC Regular Season Championship.
- The Broncs have battled through injuries and, with a top two seed and a home semifinal game secured, Rider rested five starters in the season finale at Fairfield. Four – Sergio Aguinaga, Mathis Catanzaro, Emmanuel Kouma and Sylvain Coco - returned to the starting line-up against Canisius, while Clement Bourret also saw minutes off the bench.
- 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).
- The Broncs are 13-7-2 in 22 all-time MAAC Tournament contests covering 11 berths. This year marks the eighth time Rider has been a top four seed, while the remaining four years represented tournaments in which all MAAC programs qualified for the tournament at ESPN's Wide World of Sports complex. As a top four seed, Rider is 10-3-1.
- Rider is 2-0 in MAAC Tournament penalty-kick shootouts. The 10^th-seeded Broncs advanced past No. 7 Manhattan in 2003 first round and won a shootout last season against Siena, 3-1, in the semifinals.  
- Fairfield owns an 18-8-1 lead in the all-time series, including a 3-2 edge in the MAAC Championships. The Broncs won two of the first three conference tournament meetings in the 1998 MAAC Championship Game and the 2003 quarterfinals, while falling to the Stags in the 2000, 2011 and 2014 quarterfinals. The Stags' win on Nov. 1 snapped a three-game Broncs regular-season winning streak, with the lone setback in the span coming in the 2014 MAAC Quarterfinals. The Broncs' three victories came by shutout - 2014 (3-0), 2015 (3-0) and 2016 (1-0).  
- The Stags are led by MAAC Coach of the Year Carl Rees and All-MAAC First Team honoree Angus Hastings. Don-Junior Bobe, Ben Wignall and Matt McGlinchey earned All-MAAC Second Team, with Bobe, McGlinchey, Gordon Botterill and Jonas Vergin being named to the All-Rookie Team.
- Botterill and the Stags' defense posted a clean sheet in a scoreless draw against Quinnipiac in the semifinals, before the freshman keeper made three saves in the penalty kick shootout to help Fairfield advance. He's posted a 0.83 goals-against average and a .794 save percentage this season.
- Wignall and Junior-Bobe lead the Stags with six goals apiece this year, while Hastings has added four. McGlinchey has a team-best four assists, one ahead of Wignall.
- The Broncs had a MAAC-best seven players named All-League on Nov. 7. The Broncs joined Canisius with a league-high four First Team honorees in Elliott Otmani, Jose Aguinaga, Emmanuel Kouma and Sylvain Coco, while Pablo DeCastro and Arthur Herpreck took Second Team distinction. Mathis Catanzaro also joined Coco and DeCastro on the All-Rookie Team.
- Rider has appeared in the national rankings in each of the last seven 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 are receiving votes in the College Soccer News Top 30.
- 12 of Rider's 18 games this season have been decided by one goal or less.
- Rider has now won six road games in each of the last three years.
- The Broncs are 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.
- Earlier this season, Jose Aguinaga became the program's all-time leader in assists and currently has 32 career helpers, passing Todd Moore '98, who'd distributed 26 assists between 1994-97.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 returned 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.