Wednesday, October 10, 2018
Rider Broncs (6-4-2, 2-2-1 MAAC) vs. Manhattan Jaspers (3-5-2, 2-2-1 MAAC)
Location: Lawrenceville, NJ – Ben Cohen Field
Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Live Video – ESPN+
Live Stats – GoBroncs.com
 
What You Need To Know
- The Broncs take on the Jaspers Wednesday night in a key MAAC contest on ESPN+.
- Rider and Manhattan are currently tied for sixth in the MAAC standings at the halfway point of the docket with seven points apiece. The 2018 MAAC Championships will feature a six-team field, so Wednesday's result could play a key role in playoff positioning.  
- Rider got back in the win column with a 3-2 road win at Iona on Oct. 3 before having an open date on the calendar on Oct. 6. Valeria Pascuet scored twice for the second time this year to lead the Broncs to the victory.  
- Entering the season, Pascuet had just two goals through two years, one each in 2016 and 2017. With six goals and four assists, she's tied with Kourtney Cunningham for the team lead in goals, while her 16 points stand alone atop the team stats.
- Cunningham also scored at Iona. The goal was her sixth of the year, setting a new personal single-season career high, and gives her 50 career points. She's just the eighth Bronc in program history to compile 50 points. Her 18 career goals are just one behind former teammates Ellie Smith and Michelle Iacono, and are ninth-most in program history.
- Manhattan owns a slim, 9-8-6 lead in the all-time series with the Broncs. The two teams have tied three-straight regular-season meetings, dating back to 2015. Though Rider has not lost a regular-season meeting with the Jaspers since 2008 (5-0-3), Manhattan has taken a pair of victories in the MAAC Championships, both on neutral fields, during that time in 2009 and 2015.
- Annie Doerr and Bri DeLeo led Manhattan with a pair of goals each. Four other Jaspers have one goal, while Tia Painilainen's two assists pace Manhattan.  
- Though Kelly DiGregorio saw the majority of time in net in the non-conference, Camryn Nici has impressed in four league appearances, posting a 0.31 goals-against average and a .933 saves percentage. After rotating goalkeepers, often within single games, the Jaspers have stuck with Nici for the last two full games.  
- Rider defeated Monmouth on Sept. 16. The win over Monmouth was the Broncs' first in the regular season over the Hawks since Monmouth joined the MAAC in 2013. Monmouth entered the contest 44-3-3 over its five years in the MAAC. The Hawks had not lost a conference opener since joining the league.
- Pascuet scored her fourth goal of the year to equalize at Fairfield in the 90^th minute.
- Freshman Sarah Gellert assisted on Pascuet's game-tying goal at Fairfield for her first-career assist.
- Freshman back Niamh Cashin (Nottingham, England/All Saints Academy) was recently called up to England's U-19 National Team for UEFA Qualifying. She helped her country qualify in three games in Croatia on Oct. 1, 4 and 7.
- Rider wrapped up non-conference play with a pair of wins on the road at Columbia (2-1) and Delaware State (5-1).
- The Broncs' five goals at Delaware State were their most in a single game since a 5-0 win over FDU in 2016.
- Kourtney Cunningham registered her first-career hat trick with three goals and an assist at Delaware State on Sept. 12. It was the Broncs' first hat trick since Ellie Smith did it against Fairleigh Dickinson on Aug. 25, 2016.
- Rider earned a 2-1 win at Columbia on Sept. 9 on the strength of Valeria Pascuet's brace.
- Sophomore goalkeeper Carmen Carbonell matched her career high of 12 saves, first established in the season-opener at Drexel, on Sept. 6 against nationally-ranked No. 23 Princeton. Carbonell had at least seven stops in her first five games before departing early against Columbia with four saves through 38-plus minutes.
- At 2-0-1 through three games, the Broncs started the season undefeated through three games for the first time since 2012. The 2012 squad won its first four.
- The Broncs' first three games of the season went to overtime. The last time Rider had three-straight games go to overtime to open a season came in 2010.  
- Rider opened the year with a 1-1 tie at Drexel, with Kourtney Cunningham scoring the equalizer in the 86^th minute. Cunningham's flair for the dramatic continued in a 2-1 overtime win as she scored the golden goal in the 95^th minute off a Sam Picinich assist.
- Picinich scored the game-winner against Fairleigh Dickinson in the 99^th minute, sending what appeared to be a pass ahead toward Cunningham at the top of the 18-yard box. Cunningham chased after the pass, as did the FDU goalkeeper. The ball bounced between the two, over the keeper's head and into the net for the win.
- Emily Curteis scored the equalizer against FDU in the 90^th minute. It was her first goal as a Bronc, while Cunningham and Sofia Soares assisted on the play. The assist was Soares' first since Sept. 17, 2016 after the junior missed all of 2017 due to injury.
- Picinich equalized against Wagner on a header in the 60^th minute off a beautiful free kick into the box from Pascuet as the Broncs came from behind for a 2-1 overtime victory.
- The Broncs returned seven players who started at least 11 games last season.
- Pascuet was named to the Preseason All-MAAC Team after consecutive all-league selections.
- Cunningham is joined by graduate student Maddie Lipton and Picinich as team captains.
- Picinich came on strong late last season, finishing with two goals and two assists.
- Lipton is joined on an experienced Broncs' back line by 2017 Preseason All-MAAC selection Meghan McCabe. 
- Rider welcomed eight newcomers this season in graduate student Emily Curteis (Stoke City Ladies FC) and freshmen Nikki Arrington (Middleton, MA/Masconomet Regional), Niamh Cashin (Nottingham, England/Sheffield FC), Gabrielle Cook (Middletown, NJ/Middletown South), Sarah Gellert (Severna Park, MD/Severna Park), Ailis Martin (Mahopac, NY/Mahopac), Ellie May (Leicester City Women FC) and Teresa Richardson (Las Vegas, NV/Bishop Gorman).
- Cashin was recently called up to training camp for her native England's U-19 National Team training camp.
- Notable losses from last year's roster include 2018 All-MAAC First Team selection Michelle Iacono, who had a team-high eight goals, seven assists and 23 points a year ago, and fellow First-Team honoree Emily Schmitt, who was a stabilizing force on the back line. Ellie Smith, who scored four goals despite missing six games due to injury, and Shannon Kelly (one goal, two assists in 2017) will also be missed. 
- The 2018 MAAC Championships return to campus sites following the 2017 tournament at ESPN's Wide World of Sports. Opening round games will be contested on Oct. 28, followed by the semifinals on Nov. 1 and the championship game on Nov. 4. The higher seed will host each game.