Wednesday, September 13, 2017
Rider Broncs (3-1-0, 0-0-0 MAAC) vs. Villanova Wildcats (2-3-0, 0-0-0 Big East)
Location: Lawrenceville, NJ – Ben Cohen Field
Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Live Video – GoBroncs.com
Live Stats – GoBroncs.com
 
What You Need To Know
- Following a season-opening setback at Lehigh, the Broncs have won three straight at Seton Hall and Temple and at home against La Salle.
- A 2016 NCAA Tournament qualifier, Villanova is off to a 2-3 start in 2017 with wins over UMBC and Delaware. The Wildcats also suffered a season-opening loss to Virginia in double overtime and a pair of 1-0 setbacks to Temple and Loyola (Md.).  
- Dating back to the end of the 2015 season, Rider has won nine-straight games on Ben Cohen Field.
- Clement Bourret leads the Broncs with a goal and four assists, including the golden goal in the 94^th minute against Temple and 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 teammate Pablo 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 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 after compiling nine saves and allowing just one goal in a pair of wins against Seton Hall and Temple.
- 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 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).