Saturday, October 19, 2019 * Senior Day
Rider Broncs (7-3-3, 4-1-1 MAAC) vs. Fairfield Stags (8-4-2, 5-1-0 MAAC)
Location: Lawrenceville, NJ – Ben Cohen Field
Kickoff: 1 p.m.
Live Video – BroncVision
Live Stats – GoBroncs.com
 
What You Need To Know
- Rider hosts Fairfield Saturday in a pivotal contest to MAAC Tournament seeding. Currently, the Stags (15 points) are two points ahead of the Broncs (13) for second place, with the top two seeds receiving byes into the semifinals. The Broncs are also one point ahead of Quinnipiac for fourth place.
- Saturday's game is also Senior Day. Prior to the contest, the Broncs will honor their five-member senior class, comprised of Emily Curteis, Daiana Frizon-David, Erica Ludwikowski, Valeria Pascuet and Sofia Soares.
- Carbonell's six shutouts this season surpass the five that she'd compiled in two prior seasons combined. Her six clean sheets are tied for second-most in program single-season history with Bethany-May Howard (2014, 2016), Erin Wolleon (2001) and Jen Nichols (2012). Howard holds the program record with eight shutouts in 2015.
- Rider was 5-1-2 when scoring first last season and is 6-0-1 so far this season when scoring first.  
- Hailey Russell tied for the team lead with her fourth goal of the year in a 3-1 loss at Manhattan on Oct. 16. Sofia Soares and Makenzie Rodrigues have also scored four times each.
- Fairfield has defeated Niagara, Saint Peter's, Canisius, Manhattan and Marist in league play so far this season, with its lone league setback coming to Quinnipiac.  
- The Stags have won seven games by shutout this season, including their last four wins.   
- Fairfield also leads the league with 29 goals scored this season, led by six each from Stephanie Tsangaris and Liz Dumas and five more from Nicole Stryjek. Brooke Hernon and Brooke Jones have also added three goals apiece, while Gabby Diodati has two goals and a team-best six assists.
- Gena Pike has seen the majority of time in goal for Fairfield, posting a 1.47 goals-against average and a .723 saves percentage. Aytana Muschajew has also played in eight games, compiling a 1.38 goals-against average and a .704 saves percentage.
- While Fairfield has dominated the all-time series, 17-6-2, the Broncs have been far more competitive in recent years, posting a 3-2-2 mark since 2013, including a triumph in penalty kicks in the 2014 MAAC Championship Game (officially a tie in the records).  
- At 4-0-1, the Broncs were unbeaten through five MAAC contests for the first time in program history. The closest Rider had come was a 4-0-0 start in 2016 before falling in the fifth game. Rider opened MAAC play with a 1-1 tie against Siena on Sept. 21, before defeating Quinnipiac (Sept. 28), Niagara (Oct. 2), Marist (Oct. 5) and Saint Peter's (Oct. 9).
- Rider defeated Marist, 1-0, on Oct. 5 on Hailey Russell's header off a Nikki Arrington cross into the box in the 84^th minute. The win was Rider's first in Poughkeepsie since 2004.
- Rider erupted for a 5-0 win over Niagara on Oct. 2. Five different Broncs – Emily Curteis, Valeria Pascuet, Madeleine Tarin, Makenzie Rodrigues and Erica Ludwikowski – scored goals in the win. 
- In both of Rider's road MAAC wins, they've broken a scoreless tie in the 84^th minute.
- Carmen Carbonell was voted MAAC Defensive Player of the Week for the second-straight week and the third time this season on Oct. 7 after posting consecutive clean sheets against Niagara and Marist.
- Carmen Carbonell and Camryn Dees were named MAAC Defensive Player and Rookie of the Week, respectively, on Sept. 30. Carbonell made a career-high 15 saves, while Dees added an assist in the Broncs' 2-0 win at Quinnipiac. It marked the second time Carbonell has been honored, while Dees joined Hailey Russell and Makenzie Rodrigues as Broncs' freshmen to be recognized this season.  
- Rider scored twice in a 49-second span to take a 2-0 win at Quinnipiac on Sept. 28. Ailis Martin scored the game-winner in the 84^th minute, before Sofia Soares' diving header at the goal line in the 85^th minute gave the Broncs some insurance.
- Valeria Pascuet scored in the 45^th minute of the Broncs' 1-1 tie with Siena to open league play on Sept. 21. The goal was her first of the year after finding the back of the net six times in 2018.
- Makenzie Rodrigues scored the equalizer in the 71^st minute against Temple en route to a 1-1 draw with the Owls. Paired with her two goals against Delaware State, Rodrigues had three goals on the week en route to MAAC Rookie of the Week honors on Sept. 16.
- Rider scored a resounding 6-1 win over Delaware State on Sept. 12 on the strength of Sofia Soares' hat trick and seven-point game and another pair of goals from freshman Makenzie Rodrigues, the first of her career. The hat trick followed another three goals a year ago from former Bronc Kourtney Cunningham, also on Sept. 12 against the same Hornets.
- After winning their first two games against Wagner and St. Francis Brooklyn at home, the Broncs tied Fairleigh Dickinson and fell to NJIT and Columbia. 
- Rider opened the year with a come-from-behind, 3-2 double-overtime victory over Wagner on Aug. 23. Nikki Arrington scored the first two goals of her collegiate career and Hailey Russell added the golden goal and an assist. For their efforts, Arrington and Russell were named MAAC Offensive Player and Rookie of the Week, respectively.
- Russell added her second goal of the year against St. Francis Brooklyn, while Niamh Cashin scored the game-winning goal, a game after contributing an assist against Wagner.
- Valeria Pascuet distributed a pair of assists on the Broncs' two goals against St. Francis Brooklyn for her 15^th and 16^th career assists, moving her into fifth all-time at Rider.
- Camryn Dees and Makenzie Rodrigues picked up their first collegiate assists on Russell's golden goal against Wagner.  
- With consecutive shutouts against St. Francis Brooklyn and Fairleigh Dickinson, goalkeeper Carmen Carbonell was named MAAC Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 2.
- The Broncs were picked fifth in the MAAC Preseason Coaches' Poll, matching their position in the 2018 standings.
- Pascuet and Cashin were named to the Preseason All-MAAC Teams. Pascuet is a three-time All-MAAC selection, earning First Team honors last year. Cashin was also named to the MAAC All-Rookie Team as a freshman last year.
- Kaitlyn Siciliano and Sofia Soares were selected captains for this season by their teammates.