LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ - The Rider University men's soccer team opens the 2018 season Friday night, when it plays host to perennially-strong Garden State foe Fairleigh Dickinson. The game will be streamed live on BroncVision, while live stats are also available. Friday's game, along with next Friday's (Aug. 31) match will be New York Red Bulls Nights. Former Bronc and current Red Bull Florian Valot will be on hand with teammate Tyler Adams for a meet and greet and autographs for fans.   

What You Need To Know About the 2018 Broncs
- The Broncs return nine starters from a team that advanced to the MAAC Championship Game for the third-straight season.
- Included in the returning cast are a pair of players who accounted for 17 of the Broncs 30 goals a year ago in Elliott Otmani (9 goals, 2 assists) and Pablo DeCastro (8 goals, 3 assists).
- Otmani was named to the prestigious MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List, representative of collegiate soccer's top individual honor.
- In addition to Otmani, an Academic All-America First Team honoree, backs Arthur Herpreck and Emmanuel Kouma return after joining Otmani on the All-Region Team.
- Six of Rider's league-high seven All-MAAC selections from a year ago return, including First-Team honorees Otmani, Kouma and Sylvain Coco, Second-Teamers DeCastro and Arthur Herpreck and All-Rookie Team selection Mathis Catanzaro.
- The Broncs' two losses to the starting line-up will not be easy to replace – Second-Team All-American and program assists record-holder Jose Aguinaga, who was drafted 85^th overall by the New York Red Bulls, and goalkeeper David Pastuna, a five-year member of the Broncs who finished his career with 30 wins and 12 shutouts, good for second and third in program history, respectively.    
- Otmani, Coco and Kouma were selected to the Preseason All-MAAC Team.
- The Rider defense limited the opposition to a 0.99 goals-against average in 2017, while the offense produced 1.49 goals per game.
- Rider is 3-4 in season openers under eighth-year Head Coach Charlie Inverso. They'd won two-straight with wins against Villanova (2-1 in 2016) and Saint Joseph's (4-0 in 2015) prior to a 3-2 setback at Lehigh last year.
- Rider has won four MAAC Championships in its 21 years in the league, including back-to-back titles in its first two years in the league (1997-98) and 2015-16.