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Thursday, November 11, 2021
No. 5 Rider Broncs (9-7-2) vs. No. 6 Fairfield Stags (7-8-2)
Location: Lawrenceville, NJ – Ben Cohen Field
Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Tickets: MAACSports.com
Live Video: ESPN+
Live Stats: GoBroncs.com

What You Need To Know
- The fifth-seeded Rider University men's soccer team plays host to sixth-seeded Fairfield in the MAAC Championship Semifinals Thursday evening on ESPN+.
- Rider is making its sixth semifinal appearance in the last seven seasons. The Broncs advanced to the Championship Game in the first four chances in the span, before falling in last season's semifinals to eventual champion Monmouth.
- The Broncs have qualified for the MAAC Championships in eight-straight seasons. Rider won MAAC Championships in 1997, 1998, 2015, 2016 and 2018, while finishing as runner up in 2004 and 2017. Rider's last MAAC Championship came in 2018 as the No. 5 seed.
- Rider is now 18-10-2 all-time in the MAAC Championships, and has reached the semifinals 11 times, most recently last Spring, following four-straight appearances from 2015-2018.
- Rider cut Fairfield's lead in the all-time series to 20-10-3 with a 4-3 win on Ben Cohen Field on Oct. 20. The Broncs are unbeaten in their last four against the Stags, winning two and drawing twice. The Broncs and Stags have met seven times in the MAAC Championships, with Fairfield holding a 4-3 edge. The Broncs got the most-recent laugh, upsetting the top-seeded Stags on Lessing Field in 2018 en route to their fifth MAAC Championship.
- Rider and Fairfield have met twice in the semifinals, with each team taking a win on the opponent's home field. The Broncs took the aforementioned upset in 2018, while the third-seeded Stags defeated the second-seeded Broncs in 2000.  
- Rider went down 2-0 for a second-straight game against Fairfield on Oct. 20, but got four second-half goals to take a 4-3 victory. Taner Bay, Zaki Alibou, Sergio Aguinaga and Jeremy Peterson each found the back of the net to secure the comeback victory.
- The Stags are led offensively by All-MAAC Second Team forwards Jonathan Filipe and Thomas Drillen. The duo accounted for the Stags' three goals against the Broncs on Oct. 20, with Filipe scoring twice and Drillen adding one goal. For the year, Filipe has 10 goals and five assists for a team-high 25 points, while Drillen has six goals and has matched Filipe's five assists. MAAC All-Rookie Team forward Rasmus Sorensen Rejnhold has also provided offensive punch with seven goals and two assists. All-MAAC First Team back Cormac Pike leads the Stags' defense in front of starting goalkeeper Will Marment (1.47 GAA, .727 saves percentage).
- Zaki Alibou was named MAAC Offensive Player of the Year on Nov. 8, earning the honor with a 10-goal, five-assist output this season. Alibou became the first Bronc to earn the honor since the MAAC moved from a single Player of the Year award to Offensive and Defensive honors. Craig Wicken '99 won back-to-back MAAC Player of the Year honors in 1997 and 1998 in leading the Broncs to consecutive league titles in the Broncs' first two years in the MAAC.
- Sergio Aguinaga joined Alibou on the All-MAAC First Team after compiling four goals and a team-high eight assists this season. Meanwhile, Adel Al-Masude and Guillaume Veinante were recognized on the MAAC All-Rookie Team.
- The Broncs are 9-7-2 so far this season, with wins over Central Connecticut, Stony Brook, Fordham, Quinnipiac, Niagara, Fairfield, Canisius, Iona and Siena, ties at NJIT and vs. Saint Peter's and losses to Villanova, Saint Francis (Pa.), La Salle, Monmouth, Marist, Siena and Manhattan.
- Rider is 6-0-1 when scoring three goals or more and 5-0-0 when scoring four goals.
- Pablo Gatinois started four of the first five games in net this season, posting a 2.20 goals-against average and a .400 saves percentage. Guillaume Veinante served as the Broncs' starter in the next eight games, posting a 1.89 GAA and .543 saves percentage. Gatinois returned to the starting lineup at Canisius, making seven saves while allowing just one goal before posted his record-tying shutout against Iona and earning a clean sheet in the MAAC Quarterfinals at Siena to claim the record outright.
- Alibou is second in the league in points with 25 (10 goals, five assists), while his 10 goals rank third.
- Rider's unbeaten streak ran from Oct. 16-27, including wins in the last three over Fairfield, Canisius and Iona following a tie against Saint Peter's on Oct. 16. Rider twice fell behind, 2-0, to open the streak before rallying for a 3-3 tie against Saint Peter's and 4-3 win over Fairfield. Rider then led throughout in a 4-1 road win at Canisius on Oct. 23 and took a 1-0 win over Iona.
- During the Broncs' unbeaten streak, Sergio Aguinaga scored in each of the three games and added a pair of assists. Two of the goals have come directly off corner kicks. Zaki Alibou also added two goals and two assists, while Adel Al-Masude had a goal and two assists in the span. Francisco Gomez Olano also scored the game-winner against Iona off an Alibou assist.
- Against Iona, Gatinois matched Chip Maruca's program record with his 15^th career shutout. 
- Al-Masude distributed both of his assists in the Canisius game, earning him his second MAAC Rookie of the Week honor on Oct. 25. 
- The Broncs earned a wild 3-3 tie with Saint Peter's in rainy conditions Oct. 16 on Ben Cohen Field. Rider went down 2-0 early in the first half before battling back with goals in the 40^th and 51^st minutes. After Saint Peter's retook the lead 43 seconds after Rider equalized, the Broncs again knotted the game in the 57^th minute to earn a point.
- The Broncs not only contended with the weather, but the injury bug in the tie vs. Saint Peter's. With two of their starting backs departing with injuries in the first half, the Broncs got strong contributions from Tom Skrocki, who not only played a solid defensive game, but scored his first goal as a Bronc while seeing his first significant minutes.
- Sergio Aguinaga added a goal and an assist in the tie with Saint Peter's, while Adel Al-Masude contributed a goal and Zaki Alibou and Kevin Peprah also assisted on Aguinaga's equalizer.
- Zaki Alibou scored his eighth goal of the season in an Oct. 13 loss at Marist. Lenny Cidolit also had a goal and an assist at Marist.
- The Broncs earned a 2-1 win over Niagara on Oct. 9, with Alibou scoring the equalizer early in the second half off assists from Sergio Aguinaga and Guillaume Sarrabayrouse before an own goal in the 84^th minute proved to be the difference. Aguinaga's assist was his sixth of the year.
- Alibou scored his fifth and sixth goals of the year at Quinnipiac, while Sergio Aguinaga dished out three assists. Regis Dulck and Francisco Gomez Olano also scored in the win, with Adel Al-Masude contributing an assist.
- The four-goal output was the Broncs' third of the year and their fourth game in which they've scored at least three goals. Rider has won all four of its games this year in which it's scored at least three goals.
- Following Alibou's three-goal week in wins over Quinnipiac and Niagara, he was named MAAC Offensive Player of the Week on Oct. 11.
- The Broncs opened MAAC play with a 1-0 double-overtime heartbreaker at Monmouth on Sept. 29, before bouncing back with a convincing 4-2 win at MAAC preseason favorite Quinnipiac on Wednesday. 
- Adel Al-Masude scored twice in the Broncs' 4-3 win over 2020-21 NCAA Qualifier Fordham on Sept. 22. For his effort, he was named MAAC Rookie of the Week.
- Justin Ruffino scored what proved to be the game-winning goal and added an assist in the win over Stony Brook. Lenny Cidolit and Zaki Alibou also scored in the win, while Adel Al-Masude and Jeremy Peterson also contributed assists.
- The Broncs were picked fourth in the MAAC Preseason Coaches Poll. Rider has qualified for the MAAC Championships in each of the last eight seasons, including four MAAC title game appearances and three MAAC Championships in that span.
- Gomez Olano was named to the Preseason All-MAAC Team. He followed up a two-goal, three-assist performance in 17 games in his first season at Rider in 2019 with a three-assist effort in just five games last Spring.
- The Broncs also return graduate student forward Pablo DeCastro, who's scored 27 goals and registered 61 points over the last four seasons. A two-time All-MAAC Second Team selection, DeCastro scored the game-winning goal in the 2018 MAAC Championship Game at Quinnipiac.
- Rider returned nearly all of its scoring from a year ago, with only Guillaume Vacter's one goal not returning. Vacter transferred to the University of Connecticut.