LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ - The Rider University women's soccer team opens the 2018 season on the road Friday night, when it travels to Drexel. The Broncs are coming off a 2017 season in which they finished sixth in the league standings and won their MAAC Championship First Round contest.

What You Need To Know About the 2018 Broncs
- The Broncs return seven players who started at least 11 games last season.
- Two-time All-MAAC selection Valeria Pascuet leads a cast of returners to this year's team. She had a goal and four assists in 2017.  
- Senior forward Kourtney Cunningham is the Broncs' top returning scorer. She scored five goals and added three assists a year ago. Cunningham enters the season ninth on the all-time program leaderboard with 36 points and 12 goals and is 11^th in assists with 12.
- Cunningham is joined by graduate student Maddie Lipton and senior Sam 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.  
- With then-freshman goalkeeper Carmen Carbonell in goal, the Broncs posted a 1.00 goals-against average in 2017.
- Sophomore Cameron Santers returns after starting all 18 games in the Rider midfield as a true freshman. She scored her first collegiate goal in the MAAC Quarterfinals against Quinnipiac.  
- Rider is 3-3 in its last six season openers.
- Rider welcomes 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).
- 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.