LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ – The 2021 Rider University men's soccer team will play four non-conference home games against Central Connecticut State, Saint Francis (Pa.) University, Stony Brook and Fordham, in addition to local matches at Villanova, NJIT and La Salle, Rider Head Coach Charlie Inverso has announced. The tough non-conference slate is in addition to an always-grueling MAAC slate. The Broncs open league play on Sept. 29 at hOURglass Rival Monmouth.
 
Villanova
Thursday, Aug. 26 * Villanova, PA
 
Series History: Rider leads, 5-2
Last Meeting: Villanova, 2-0 (Sept. 13, 2017; Lawrenceville, NJ)
2020-21 Record: 2-8-0 (2-5-0 Big East)
2020-21 Postseason: N/A
Quickly: The Broncs and Wildcats split the last two meetings in 2016 and 2017, with each team winning on the other's home field. Christian Flath's golden goal with two seconds remaining in the first overtime gave Rider a 2-1 win at Villanova in 2016, before the Wildcats responded with a 2-0 win the following Sept. 13 in Lawrenceville.

NJIT
Monday, Aug. 30 * Newark, NJ
 
Series History: Rider leads, 4-2-2
Last Meeting: NJIT, 1-0 (Aug. 31, 2018; Lawrenceville, NJ)
2020-21 Record: 4-5-1 (4-2-0 America East)
2020-21 Postseason: America East Semifinals
Quickly: Though Rider owns a 4-2-2 edge in the all-time series, the Highlanders took a win in the last meeting, a 1-0 decision on a game-winning goal in the 88^th minute on Ben Cohen Field on Aug. 31, 2018.

Central Connecticut State
Thursday, Sept. 2 * Ben Cohen Field
 
Series History: CCSU leads, 2-1-1
Last Meeting: Tie, 2-2 (Oct. 2, 1993; Baltimore, MD)
2020-21 Record: 3-3-1 (3-3-1 NEC)
2020-21 Postseason: N/A
Quickly: The Broncs and Blue Devils are set to meet for the first time since 1993. The two teams met four times between 1989 and 1993, with CCSU taking a 2-1-1 edge. Rider and CCSU were set to meet in 2019, before the Blue Devils canceled the match.

Saint Francis (Pa.) University
Sunday, Sept. 5 * Ben Cohen Field
 
Series History: Rider leads, 4-3-0
Last Meeting: Saint Francis, 4-0 (Sept. 21, 2019; Loretto, PA)
2020-21 Record: N/A
2020-21 Postseason: N/A
Quickly: Saint Francis returns to the pitch for the first time since the 2019 season after the school opted against traditional Fall sport competition in Spring 2021. The Red Flash got the best of the Broncs, 4-0, on Sept. 21, 2019, the two teams' first meeting since 1996. In the all-time series, Rider is 4-0 in games played away from Saint Francis' home field in Loretto, PA, twice winning in Lawrenceville and earning two more wins on neutral fields.

La Salle
Saturday, Sept. 11 * Philadelphia, PA
 
Series History: Rider leads, 12-11-1
Last Meeting: Rider, 2-0 (Sept. 14, 2019; Lawrenceville, NJ)
2020-21 Record: 5-5-1 (2-3-1 Atlantic 10)
2020-21 Postseason: N/A
Quickly: Rider has enjoyed recent success against the Explorers, winning the last four meetings from 2016-19.

Stony Brook
Wednesday, Sept. 15 * Ben Cohen Field
 
Series History: Tied, 2-2-1
Last Meeting: Rider, 2-1 (2OT) (Sept. 24, 2019; Stony Brook, NY)
2020-21 Record: 1-6-1 (1-4-1 America East)
2020-21 Postseason: N/A
Quickly: The Broncs and Seawolves met for the first time in 15 years when Rider earned a 2-1 double-overtime win on Long Island on Sept. 24, 2019. Mathis Catanzaro scored the golden goal in the 106^th minute off a free kick to knot the all-time series at 2-2-1.   

Fordham
Wednesday, Sept. 22 * Ben Cohen Field
 
Series History: Rider leads, 7-1-0
Last Meeting: Rider, 2-0 (Sept. 7, 2019; Bronx, NY)
2020-21 Record: 7-1-2 (3-0-2 Atlantic 10)
2020-21 Postseason: NCAA First Round
Quickly: The Rams are coming off a banner season in which their first loss didn't come until the NCAA Tournament. Fordham marched to a 7-0-2 record and wins over Saint Louis and George Washington to claim the Atlantic 10 Championship, before falling in overtime to nationally-ranked No. 10 Marshall in the NCAA Tournament Second Round. The Broncs own a 7-1-0 lead in the all-time series with Fordham, which dates back to 1956. Most recently, Rider took a 2-0 win in The Bronx on Sept. 7, 2019.

Monmouth
Wednesday, Sept. 29 * West Long Branch, NJ
 
Series History: Monmouth leads, 17-9-4
Last Meeting: Monmouth, 2-0 (2020-21 MAAC Semifinals) (Apr. 14, 2021; Lawrenceville, NJ)
2020-21 Record: 6-3-1 (2-2-1 MAAC)
2020-21 Postseason: MAAC Champions, NCAA Second Round
Quickly: Monmouth defeated the Broncs, 2-0, in the MAAC Semifinals this past April 14 en route to a MAAC Championship, which was earned with three-straight road victories as the No. 6 seed. The Hawks went on to win an NCAA First Round game against Bowling Green, before falling in the second round to nationally-ranked No. 2 Pittsburgh. Rider hadn't lost to Monmouth since 2016 and was 3-1-2 in its last six games against the Hawks entering last year's semifinal match. 

Quinnipiac
Wednesday, Oct. 6 * Hamden, CT
 
Series History: Rider leads, 6-4-0
Last Meeting: Quinnipiac, 3-1 (Nov. 6, 2019; Hamden, CT)
2020-21 Record: 7-2-0 (5-1-0 MAAC)
2020-21 Postseason: MAAC Championship Game
Quickly: Quinnipiac won the MAAC Regular Season Championship last Spring, but fell to Monmouth in the MAAC Tournament Championship Game. The Broncs hold a 6-4-0 lead in the all-time series with the Bobcats, but Quinnipiac earned a 3-1 lead in the last meeting between the two teams, Nov. 6, 2019.

Niagara
Saturday, Oct. 9 * Ben Cohen Field
 
Series History: Rider leads, 12-8-3
Last Meeting: Niagara, 2-1 (OT) (Oct. 19, 2019; Niagara University, NY)
2020-21 Record: 5-3-0 (4-2-0 MAAC)
2020-21 Postseason: MAAC Quarterfinals
Quickly: Niagara had a successful Spring, posting a 4-2-0 record in league play, good for the No. 3 seed in the MAAC Tournament. But Monmouth began its run to the MAAC title with a 2-1 win in the quarterfinals to end the Purple Eagles' season. In the last meeting with Niagara, the Purple Eagles snapped the Broncs' five-game winning streak over Niagara with a 2-1 overtime decision on Oct. 19, 2019.  

Marist
Wednesday, Oct. 13 * Poughkeepsie, NY
 
Series History: Rider leads, 16-11-2
Last Meeting: Marist, 2-1 (Oct. 26, 2019; Lawrenceville, NJ)
2020-21 Record: N/A
2020-21 Postseason: N/A
Quickly: Marist's campus pause wiped out the Red Foxes' Spring season. Marist took a 2-1 win over the Broncs on Oct. 26, 2019. However, the Broncs sport a 16-11-2 record in the all-time series with the Red Foxes.

Saint Peter's
Saturday, Oct. 16 * Ben Cohen Field
 
Series History: Rider leads, 24-14-1
Last Meeting: Saint Peter's, 2-1 (2OT) (Oct. 9, 2019; Jersey City, NJ)
2020-21 Record: 3-3-1 (3-2-1 MAAC)
2020-21 Postseason: MAAC Quarterfinals
Quickly: Saint Peter's has won the last two in the series with Rider, including a 2-1 double-overtime heartbreaker for the Broncs on Oct. 9, 2019. A failed Rider clearance in the waning seconds on the second overtime led to a Saint Peter's PK with six seconds remaining that resulted in the Peacocks' victory.

Fairfield
Wednesday, Oct. 20 * Lawrenceville, NJ
 
Series History: Fairfield leads, 20-9-3
Last Meeting: Tie, 0-0 (Apr. 3, 2021; Lawrenceville, NJ)
2020-21 Record: 4-3-1 (3-2-1 MAAC)
2020-21 Postseason: MAAC Semifinals
Quickly: Rider and Fairfield have played the last 247 minutes against each other without a goal, accounting for ties in 2019 and 2020-21. The last time a team came away victorious in the series was in 2018, when the Broncs defeated the top-seeded Stags on their home field en route to the MAAC Championship and an NCAA berth.

Canisius
Saturday, Oct. 23 * Buffalo, NY
 
Series History: Rider leads, 14-10-2
Last Meeting: Rider, 3-1 (Oct. 5, 2019; Lawrenceville, NJ)
2020-21 Record: 0-6-0 (0-5-0 MAAC)
2020-21 Postseason: N/A
Quickly: Rider is unbeaten in its last five meetings with Canisius, winning the last three following a pair of ties in 2016 and 2017.

Iona
Wednesday, Oct. 27 * Ben Cohen Field
 
Series History: Rider leads, 14-11-1
Last Meeting: Rider, 4-1 (MAAC Quarterfinals) (Apr. 11, 2021; Lawrenceville, NJ)
2020-21 Record: 2-4-1 (2-3-1 MAAC)
2020-21 Postseason: MAAC Quarterfinals
Quickly: Rider defeated Iona twice on Ben Cohen Field last Spring – a 1-0 win on March 18 and a 4-1 win in the MAAC Quarterfinals on April 11. The wins came following a loss in the 2019 MAAC Quarterfinals, which sprung Iona to the 2019 MAAC title. The loss was the Broncs' only non-win in the last nine meetings with Iona.

Siena
Saturday, Oct. 30 * Lawrenceville, NJ
 
Series History: Rider leads, 12-11-5
Last Meeting: Rider, 1-0 (Mar. 11, 2021; Lawrenceville, NJ)
2020-21 Record: 2-5-1 (2-4-1 MAAC)
2020-21 Postseason: MAAC Quarterfinals
Quickly: Siena led the series with Rider, 10-5-2, prior to the Broncs rattling off a 7-1-1 mark against the Saints since the 2013 season. Last year, the Broncs defeated Siena, 1-0, in then-first-year Siena Coach Graciano Brito's collegiate head coaching debut on March 11.

Manhattan
Wednesday, Nov. 3 * Riverdale, NY
 
Series History: Rider leads, 14-5-5
Last Meeting: Rider, 3-2 (OT) (Oct. 16, 2019; Lawrenceville, NJ)
2020-21 Record: 2-4-0 (2-4-0 MAAC)
2020-21 Postseason: N/A
Quickly: A COVID-19 pause eliminated the Broncs' and Jaspers' regularly-scheduled March 28 game this past season. Prior to that, Rider earned a wacky, 3-2 overtime victory on Oct. 16, 2019, as Sergio Aguinaga's free kick from 30 yards out skipped low off the wet Ben Cohen Field turf and into the goal for the winner.
 
MAAC Championships
All Games at Higher Seed
Quarterfinals: Sunday, Nov. 7
Semifinals: Thursday, Nov. 11
Championship: Sunday, Nov. 14