Wednesday, October 30, 2019
Rider Broncs (8-4-4, 5-2-2 MAAC) vs. Iona Gaels (6-11-2, 3-5-1 MAAC)
Location: Lawrenceville, NJ – Ben Cohen Field
Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Live Video – ESPN+
Live Stats – GoBroncs.com

What You Need To Know
- Rider wraps up regular-season play against Iona on Wednesday night. A win would clinch the No. 3 seed in the MAAC Championships, while a loss or tie paired with a Marist win at Canisius would push Rider to the No. 4 seed.
- Regardless of Wednesday's result, the Broncs will host a MAAC Quarterfinal contest on Sunday at 4 p.m. on Ben Cohen Field.
- Though Iona could finish as high as tied for fifth in the MAAC Regular Season Standings with a win Wednesday night, the Gaels come up on the short end of all tie-breaker scenarios and have officially been eliminated from MAAC Championship contention.
- The MAAC Championship field is set, with Monmouth and Fairfield cemented in the top two spots, while Quinnipiac has clinched the No. 5 position and Niagara will be the No. 6 seed. All that remains to be decided is whether Rider or Marist will be the No. 3 seed, with the other taking the No. 4 position. Both teams will host quarterfinal games.
- Hailey Russell earned MAAC Rookie of the Week on Oct. 28, her second honor of the year, following a two-goal effort in the Broncs' 2-1 road overtime victory at Canisius on Oct. 23. She now has a team-leading six goals and 14 points on the year.
- Rider was 5-1-2 when scoring first last season and is 7-0-2 so far this season when scoring first.  
- Iona has won three of its last five games, including a 1-0 win over Canisius last time out. However, all three wins came at home, where the Gaels are 5-5-0. By contract, Iona is 1-6-2 on the road this season, with the lone win coming Oct. 2 at Delaware State.
- Amber Crispin leads Iona with nine goals, while Faith Preziosi has also added six goals and three assists. Samantha Hogan and Sofia Giamanco have each contributed two goals and two assists, while Mackenzie Meixner has tallied a team-best four assists.  
- Emma Havrilla has seen the majority of time in goal for Iona this season, posting a 2.26 goals-against average and a .687 saves percentage. However, Angelina DeCicco started last game and posted a shutout against Canisius. For the season, she's compiled a 2.06 GAA and .571 saves percentage in eight games played, including two starts.
- Rider has dominated the all-time series with Iona, 14-6-2, including wins in each of the last six meetings.   
- Rider goalkeeper Carmen 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.
- Russell scored 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Russell and 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 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.
- 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 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 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.
- 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.
- Dees and Rodrigues picked up their first collegiate assists on Russell's golden goal against Wagner.  
- With consecutive shutouts against St. Francis Brooklyn and Fairleigh Dickinson, 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 Soares were selected captains for this season by their teammates.