Sunday, September 16, 2018
Rider Broncs (4-2-1, 0-0-0 MAAC) vs. Monmouth Hawks (5-2-1, 0-0-0 MAAC)
Location: Lawrenceville, NJ – Ben Cohen Field
Kickoff: 6 p.m.
Live Video – ESPN3
Live Stats – GoBroncs.com

What You Need To Know
- 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.
- Monmouth has won each of the last three meetings with the Broncs since Rider knocked off the top-seeded Hawks in the 2014 MAAC Championship Semifinals en route to an NCAA Tournament berth. The Hawks have won the MAAC Regular Season Championship in each of their five years in the league and have won the MAAC Tournament three times in that span, including the last two years. Monmouth leads the all-time series with Rider, 12-3-3.
- 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.
- Cunningham's seven points at Delaware State give her 48 for her career, passing current Rider assistant coach Tara Ballay (45) for eighth in program history. Her 17 career goals are two behind former teammates Ellie Smith and Michelle Iacono, and are ninth-most in program history.
- Cunningham has already matched her season-high in goals with five. She also scored five times in 2015 and 2017. She's just a point off her season total from last year. 
- Rider earned a 2-1 win at Columbia on Sept. 9 on the strength of Valeria Pascuet's brace. Entering the season with two career goals, Pascuet has three in her last two games, including the game winners against both Columbia and Delaware State.
- 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 her first five games before departing early against Columbia with four saves through 38-plus minutes.
- In Carbonell's absence, senior Amy Kozlowski has capably filled in. She made three saves to secure the win at Columbia and made a career-high seven stops to defeat Delaware State.    
- Rider trailed in its first five games to begin the season, but has scored first in its last two, wins at Columbia and Delaware State. The Broncs fought off defeat in the first three, including wins in the second and third games. However, both NJIT and Princeton extended their leads to 2-0 and won by the same scores on Sept 2 and 6, respectively.  
- 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.  
- The Hawks are led by Alli DeLuca, whose three goals and seven points are a team-best. Jill Conklin has a team-high three assists, while Lexie Palladino has scored twice. Preseason MAAC Player of the Year Madie Gibson and Dana Scheriff have each contributed a goal and two assists.
- Amanda Knaub has played all but 19-plus of the Hawks' minutes in net this season, posting a microscopic 0.37 goals-against average and an .889 saves percentage. She's posted four shutouts.      
- 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 Valeria 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.