Saturday, Sept. 14, 2019
Rider Broncs (1-2-0) vs. La Salle Explorers (3-1-0)
Location: Lawrenceville, NJ - Ben Cohen Field
Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Live Video: BroncVision
Live Stats: www.GoBroncs.com

What You Need To Know
- Rider and La Salle are deadlocked at 11-11-1 in the all-time series after the Broncs have won three-straight in the last three years. Most recently, the Broncs took a 1-0 victory last Sept. 8 on Pablo DeCastro's game-winner in the 88^th minute.
- The Broncs are 1-2-0 so far this season, having defeated Fordham and fallen at #26 Connecticut and Princeton.
- Saturday's game represents Rider's home opener following the cancellation of the regularly-scheduled Sept. 4 game against Central Connecticut.
- DeCastro leads the Broncs with two goals so far this season and 19 for his career.
- Clement Bourret also had a goal, while Mathis Catanzaro has the Broncs' two assists so far this year.
- Pablo Gatinois was named MAAC Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 9, after making seven saves in a shutout victory at Fordham.  
- La Salle has won three of four contests so far this season, with wins over Iona, Robert Morris and LIU and a loss at St. Francis Brooklyn.
- Nigel Buckley and Pat McCarthy lead the Explorers with two goals apiece, with Buckley having also contributed an assist. Ike Hollinger has a goal and an assist, while Colin Bateman has also scored once. Sam DeCencio has a team-leading two assists, while Charlie Collins and Franc Gamiz Quer have chipped in with one assist apiece.
- Brett Werner has played every minute in net for La Salle, posting a 1.25 goals-against average and a .737 saves percentage.
- Rider was picked third in the MAAC Preseason Coaches' Poll.
- Rider advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the third time in the last four years a season ago, pushing eventual national runner-up Akron in a tie game through 83 minutes, before falling, 3-1, in the First Round.
- The Broncs were 5-9-1 (4-4-0 MAAC) through 15 games last season before winning their final two games in the regular season and three MAAC Championship games – all five by shutout – to advance to the NCAA Tournament.
- The Broncs have reached the MAAC Championship Game in each of the last four years, becoming just the third program in MAAC history to make four-straight MAAC Championship Game appearances. Rider joined Loyola (1989-97, no longer in MAAC) and Fairfield (1998-2002).
- Rider's seven shutouts last season tied the program single-season record, both as a team and individually for then-sophomore goalkeeper Pablo Gatinois. The 1997 and 2015 teams also had seven shutouts each. Gatinois tied Keith Richardson's individual record set in 1997 with seven clean sheets.
- Rider became the first team in MAAC Championship history to win three true road games in the tournament en route to the title last season. The tournament moved first from a four-team field held at one site to six teams in 2014 with the quarterfinals at the higher seed and the semifinals and finals at the top seed. Beginning in 2017, all games were hosted by the higher seed.     
- Rider's biggest loss from a season ago is Elliott Otmani, who became the third Bronc in program history with 30 career goals and 20 assists. Otmani joined an exclusive club, consisting of Rider's all-time leading scorer, Craig Wicken '99 (49 goals, 24 assists), and 1972 All-American Bobby Smith '72 (46 goals, 20 assists). He finished tied for seventh all-time in goals with Anselmo Bryan '90 and alone in sixth with 22 assists, two behind Wicken, Mike Stasiulaitis '94 and Len Matysek '62 (24 each) in a tie for third in Rider history. Otmani was a four-time MAAC All-Championship Team selection and two-time MAAC Championship MVP.
- The Broncs return nine starters from last year's team, including leading scorer Pablo DeCastro (9 goals), who scored the game-winner in the MAAC Championship Game at Quinnipiac. Clement Bourret, Emmanuel Kouma and Taner Bay were also tied for second on the team with three assists. Sylvain Coco (3 goals, 1 assist), Bourret (2 goals), Arthur Herpreck (2 goals), Mathis Catanzaro (1 goal, 2 assists) and Sergio Aguinaga (2 assists) also return after contributing offensively last year.
- Gatinois started all 17 games he played in 2018, registering a 0.72 goals-against average, .818 saves percentage and seven shutouts.
- Rider returns three All-MAAC selections from a year ago in Second Teamers Coco, Herpreck and Kouma. Coco was also named to the Preseason All-MAAC Team.