Friday, November 4, 2022
No. 1 Rider Broncs (13-5, 6-1 NEC) vs. No. 4 Saint Francis Red Flash (8-11, 5-2 NEC)
Location:  Staten Island, NY
Time: 11 a.m.
Live Broadcast: ESPN3 / NEC Front Row
Live Stats:  WagnerAthletics.com
 
What You Need To Know
- Friday's game will be simulcast live on ESPN3 and NEC Front Row.
- The Broncs were picked to finish third in the NEC Preseason Coaches Poll. Rider finished fourth in the regular season a year ago, and held a 1-0 lead over top-seeded Fairfield in the NEC Tournament before ultimately falling 2-1.
- Rider has made the postseason 23-straight years after qualifying for the NEC Tournament this season.
- The Broncs finished the regular season at 6-1 in NEC play, earning a share of the NEC Regular season title. The Broncs earned the one-seed in the NEC Tournament by virtue of a head-to-head win over Wagner. The Broncs claimed the NEC Regular Season Championship for the ninth time under head coach Lori Hussong.
- Hussong and her staff were named NEC Coaching Staff of the Year.
- Rider enters Friday's game on a nine-game winning streak, second-longest active streak in the nation.
- Rider's roster features players from six different countries, Canada, Germany, The Netherlands, South Africa, Spain, and the United States.
- Rider earned a 3-1 win over no. 25 American on Oct. 2. It was the Broncs' first-ever win over a ranked opponent.
- Kaitlyn Tomas (Campbellville, Ontario/Appleby College) leads the NEC in both save percentage (.794) and goals against average (1.15). She has been named NEC Defensive Player of the Week four times, including last week, and NEC Prime performer seven times this season. Tomas was named NEC Defensive Player of the Year and NEC Goalkeeper of the Year along with being a First-Team All-NEC honoree.
- Indy Zoontjens (Hilversum, Netherlands/Alberdingk Thijm College) has scored a point in 13-straight games including a goal and an assist in Rider's win over Wagner. The NEC Rookie of the Year and First-Team All-NEC forward is up to 11 goals and an NEC-leading 12 assists on the season. Zoontjens 12 assists are the most ever by a Rider freshman.
- Valeria Perales (Madrid, Spain/IES Mirasierra) has been a force in her freshman campaign. She leads all freshman and ranks sixth among all players nationally with 18 goals and 1.00 goals per game. She also ranks among the leaders in the NEC with eight assists. She has three times been named NEC Offensive Player of the Week, and four times been chosen as NEC Rookie of the Week. She earned First-Team All-NEC honors as announced by the conference Wednesday. Perales 18 goals are the most ever by a Rider freshman.
- Sierra Giuliano (Franklinville, NJ/Delsea Regional) earned First-Team All-NEC honors at midfield. It marks her third-straight year earning All-NEC honors.
- Kiki van Ommeren (Amsterdam, Netherlands/Montessori Lyceum Amsterdam), Maeve Riehman (Norristown, PA/Archbishop Carroll), and Lyric Scott (Union, NJ/Union) were all named to the All-NEC Second-Team.
- Semra Said (Mannheim, Germany/Feudenheim Gymnasium Mannheim) scored her first career game-winning goal with the first tally at LIU. She finished the regular season with eight goals.
- The Broncs rank fourth in the country in penalty corners drawn per game. Rider averages 8.56 per contest.
- Rider is out-shooting its opponents 270-173 on the year. The Broncs outshot Merrimack and Hofstra a combined 37-9 last week.
- The Broncs lead the all-time series 20-3. The Red Flash snapped a five-game Rider winning streak between the teams during the regular season, the Broncs only loss conference loss during the year.
- The Red Flash enter the NEC Tournament as the four-seed at 8-11 overall and 5-2 in NEC play.
- Eva Valentini and Dolores Zavaleta both earned All-NEC honors for Saint Francis. Valentini was second in the NEC with 12 goals and fourth with 29 points.
- The winner of Friday's game will advance to the NEC Championship game where they will face the winner of the second semifinal game between second-seeded Wagner and third-seeded Fairfield.