Friday, November 5, 2021
No. 4 Rider Broncs (11-7, 4-3 NEC) vs. No. 1 Fairfield Stags (12-7, 7-0 NEC)
Location: Staten Island, NY
Time: 11 a.m.
Live Video – ESPN3
Live Stats – NortheastConference.com
 
What You Need To Know
- Friday's game will be broadcast live on ESPN3.
- The games features the preseason favorites to win the conference as the Broncs and Stags earned every first-place vote in the preseason coaches' poll.
- Rider won its final two NEC games to clinch the no. 4 seed and a berth in the conference tournament. Carly Brosious (Drexel Hill, PA/Monsignor Bonner [Archbishop Prendergast]) scored in each of the contests, including the game-winning goal to break a 2-2 tie with less than 10 minutes remaining in the game against Sacred Heart. Tess van Ommeren was a part of all five Rider goals during the stretch, scoring once and handing out four assists.
- Julia Divorra (Terrasa, Spain/Vedruna Vall) was named NEC Offensive Player of the Year after leading the Broncs and finishing second in the conference in goals (14) and points (33).
- Divorra was joined on the All-NEC First-Team by Brosious, Tess van Ommeren, and Kiki van Ommeren (Amsterdam, Netherlands/Montessori Lyceum Amsterdam). Sierra Giuliano (Franklinville, NJ/Delsea Regional) was selected to the Second-Team All-NEC for the second-consecutive season.
- Tess van Ommeren leads the NEC with 11 assists. Her 0.61 assists per game ranks ninth nationally.
- Kaitlyn Tomas (Campbellville, Ontario/Appleby College) is 8-2 in goal this season. She ranks seventh in the country with an .800 winning percentage. She missed the first meeting between these teams due to injury.
- Rider has been one of the best teams in the country at drawing penalty corners, ranking eighth nationally with an average of 7.72 per game.
- The Broncs lead the all-time series against Fairfield 17-10. The Stags won the previous meeting this season, 2-0, on a pair of first-half goals by Julianna Kratz.
- The Broncs and Stags have met in postseason play in 2019, a 2-1 overtime win for Fairfield, 2018, a 1-0 Fairfield victory, 2005, a 3-2 Rider win, and 2004, another 3-2 Bronc victory.
- Fairfield went undefeated in conference play for the second time in the last three seasons. The Stags also went undefeated in NEC play in 2019 on their way to winning the both the regular-season and conference tournament championships.
- Fairfield goalie Zoe Rosen ranks fourth in the country with an .821 save percentage.