LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ – The Rider University women's soccer team will play a competitive non-conference schedule in 2024, including home games against local foes Seton Hall (Aug. 25) and Saint Joseph's (Aug. 29) before entering a 12-game league schedule with the additions of Merrimack and Sacred Heart to the MAAC. After playing road preseason tune-ups at Drexel (Aug. 4) and Hofstra (Aug. 9), the Broncs open the season by renewing a yearly meeting with Wagner on Aug. 15. Rider continues on the road at Delaware State (Aug. 20). The home opener against the Pirates is set for Sunday, Aug. 25, before the homestand continues on Thursday, Aug. 29, against the Hawks.

The Broncs close non-conference play Sept. 1 at NJIT, before opening league play at Fairfield on Saturday, Sept. 7. The league home opener is set for an Alumni Day contest against Niagara on Saturday, Sept. 14. After consecutive road matches at Manhattan (Sept. 18) and Canisius (Sept. 28), the Broncs play host to Quinnipiac (Oct. 2) and Sacred Heart (Oct. 5). Following a road contest at Merrimack (Oct. 12), the Broncs make it four out of five at home, welcoming Iona (Oct. 16) and Siena (Oct. 19, Senior Day). Trips to Saint Peter's (Oct. 23) and Marist (Oct. 26) follow, before the regular season concludes Oct. 30 at home against Mount St. Mary's.

The eight-team MAAC Championships begin Nov. 3, with higher seeds hosting. The tournament continues with the semifinals (Nov. 7) and championship game (Nov. 10).


Wagner
Thursday, Aug. 15 * Ben Cohen Field

Series History: Rider leads, 9-5
Last Meeting: Rider, 1-0 (Aug. 17, 2023; Lawrenceville, NJ)
2023 Record: 8-8-4 (5-5-0 Northeast Conference)
2023 Postseason: NEC Runner Up
Quickly: The Broncs and Seahawks have met in August in each of the last seven seasons that non-conference games have been played (2020-21 season excluded), including season openers in 2017, 2021, 2022 and 2023. Each of those games have been decided by one goal, with the Broncs winning consecutive overtime affairs in 2018 and 2019, before falling, 3-2, in 2021. Rider turned the tables with 3-2 and 1-0 victories on Staten Island and at home, respectively, in the last two seasons. The Seahawks reached the NEC Championship Game last season and played Central Connecticut to a 1-1 tie before the Blue Devils advanced on PK's, 4-3.  


Delaware State
Tuesday, Aug. 20 * Dover, DE

Series History: Rider leads, 11-0-1
Last Meeting: Rider, 4-1 (Sept. 3, 2023; Lawrenceville, NJ)
2023 Record: 0-14-1 (0-8 Northeast Conference)
2023 Postseason: N/A
Quickly: Rider has never lost to Delaware State, holding an 11-0-1 lead in the all-time series, which dates back to 2006. The lone tie came in Dover in 2012. Rider has outscored the Hornets, 21-3, in the last four meetings. Four of Rider's 13 hat tricks all-time, including the last three (Kourtney Cunningham in 2018, Sofia Soares in 2019, Makenzie Rodrigues in 2022) have come against DSU. Abi Cottam also completed a hat trick against the Hornets in 2010.


Seton Hall
Sunday, Aug. 25 * Ben Cohen Field

Series History: Seton Hall leads, 3-1
Last Meeting: Seton Hall, 1-0 (Aug. 27, 2023; South Orange, NJ)
2023 Record: 6-7-5 (2-4-4 Big East)
2023 Postseason: N/A
Quickly: Rider and Seton Hall played for the fourth time in the two programs' histories last August, meeting for the first time since 2014. Seton Hall took the first two meetings in 2000 and 2002, before the Broncs took a 1-0 win in 2014 on Priscilla Santos' winner in the seventh minute and an eight-save shutout from Bethany-May Howard. The Pirates won last year's meeting, 1-0, on Aug. 27 in South Orange. 


Saint Joseph's
Thursday, Aug. 29 * Ben Cohen Field

Series History: Rider leads, 2-1-1
Last Meeting: Tie, 1-1 (2OT) (Sept. 11, 2016; Lawrenceville, NJ)
2023 Record: 4-9-6 (4-3-3 Atlantic 10)
2023 Postseason: A-10 Quarterfinals
Quickly: Rider and Saint Peter's will play for the first time since 2016, when the two teams played to a 1-1 draw. The Broncs won the first two meetings of the series in 2006 and 2007, before the Hawks took a victory in 2015.   


NJIT
Sunday, Sept. 1 * Newark, NJ

Series History: Rider leads, 7-5
Last Meeting: Rider, 2-1 (Sept. 8, 2021; Lawrenceville, NJ)
2023 Record: 7-7-5 (3-4-1 America East)
2023 Postseason: America East Quarterfinals
Quickly: After NJIT took three-straight meetings from 2017-19 to close the Broncs' lead in the all-time series to 6-5, the Broncs got back into the win column with a 2-1 win in 2021. The Highlanders advanced to the America East Quarterfinals last season.


Fairfield
Saturday, Sept. 7 * Fairfield, CT
 
Series History: Fairfield leads, 20-7-3
Last Meeting: Fairfield, 2-1 (Sept. 23, 2023; Fairfield, CT)
2023 Record: 10-6-4 (7-2-1 MAAC)
2023 Postseason: MAAC Runner Up
Quickly: Fairfield has taken the last three meetings with the Broncs, including a 2-1 victory last Sept. 23 in Connecticut. Logan Racine scored the equalizer in the 74^th minute, but the Stags answered in the 79^th to take the victory. Fairfield would go on to a MAAC Championship Game appearance, before falling to Quinnipiac.


Niagara
Saturday, Sept. 14 * Ben Cohen Field
 
Series History: Niagara leads, 17-10-2
Last Meeting: Niagara, 4-0 (Oct. 21, 2023; Niagara University, NY)
2023 Record: 5-10-3 (4-4-2 MAAC)
2023 Postseason: MAAC Quarterfinals
Quickly: Niagara finished fifth in the MAAC regular-season standings last season and earned a 4-0 win over the Broncs on Oct. 21 in Western New York. The Purple Eagles have taken four straight over Rider and six of the last seven.


Manhattan
Wednesday, Sept. 18 * Riverdale, NY
 
Series History: Rider leads, 14-10-6
Last Meeting: Rider, 2-1 (Oct. 7, 2023; Lawrenceville, NJ)
2023 Record: 4-7-4 (3-4-3 MAAC)
2023 Postseason: N/A
Quickly: Rider has won the last five meetings with Manhattan, the last four coming by one goal margins. Included in the stretch was a double-overtime victory in 2021 on a Chloe Fisher golden goal, while Lindsey Maslow's game winner in the 59^th minute gave Ellie Sciancalepore her fifth shutout of the year in 2022 in Riverdale. Last season, Ava Ferrie scored the game winner off a Leonor Alves cross in the 79^th minute to break a 1-1 deadlock.  


Canisius
Saturday, Sept. 28 * Buffalo, NY

Series History: Rider leads, 15-11-3
Last Meeting: Rider, 1-0 (Oct. 29, 2023; Buffalo, NY – MAAC Quarterfinals)
2023 Record: 9-4-5 (6-2-2 MAAC)
2023 Postseason: MAAC Quarterfinals
Quickly: The Broncs and Griffs have met in consecutive years in the MAAC Quarterfinals, with the road team advancing each time. After Canisius advanced on PK's in 2022, the Broncs won a pair of 1-0 decisions over the Griffs in 2023, with Chloe Fisher scoring the game winner on both occasions. The two losses accounted for half of Canisius' four setbacks on the season.


Quinnipiac
Wednesday, Oct. 2 * Ben Cohen Field
 
Series History: Quinnipiac leads, 6-5-2
Last Meeting: Quinnipiac, 1-0 (Nov. 2, 2023; Hamden, CT – MAAC Semifinals)
2023 Record: 13-4-1 (9-0-1 MAAC)
2023 Postseason: NCAA First Round
Quickly: Quinnipiac has won the last four meetings with the Broncs to edge ahead, 6-5-2, in the all-time series. Included in the streak is a pair of 1-0 wins last season, including the MAAC Semifinals. All four wins in the streak have come by clean sheet. After defeating the Broncs in the semifinals, Quinnipiac downed Fairfield in the Championship Game to advance to the NCAA Tournament for the second-straight year.


Sacred Heart
Saturday, Oct. 5 * Ben Cohen Field
 
Series History: Tied, 1-1-1
Last Meeting: Sacred Heart, 4-2 (Sept. 12, 2010; Fairfield, CT)
2023 Record: 6-9-4 (5-4-1 NEC)
2023 Postseason: NEC Quarterfinals
Quickly: Sacred Heart joins the MAAC for the 2024 season after its first 24 years at Division I as members of the Northeast Conference. The Broncs and Pioneers have met three times and stand tied at 1-1-1. The two teams played to a scoreless tie on a neutral site in Albany, NY, in 2003, before each team won on its home field in a home-and-home series in 2009 and 2010.


Merrimack
Saturday, Oct. 12 * North Andover, MA
 
Series History: First Meeting
Last Meeting: First Meeting
2023 Record: 10-4-4 (8-1-1 NEC)
2023 Postseason: NEC Semifinals
Quickly: Merrimack and Rider will meet for the first time after the Warriors join the MAAC ahead of the 2024-25 academic year. The Warriors won the Northeast Conference Regular Season Championship in their final year in the league before being knocked out of the NEC Tournament Semifinals by Wagner on PK's.


Iona
Wednesday, Oct. 16 * Ben Cohen Field
 
Series History: Rider leads, 14-9-4
Last Meeting: Tie, 1-1 (Oct. 11, 2023; New Rochelle, NY)
2023 Record: 1-15-3 (0-7-3 MAAC)
2023 Postseason: N/A
Quickly: Ava Ferrie's equalizer in the 89^th minute gave the Broncs a point last Oct. 11 in New Rochelle. The Gaels have given the Broncs trouble over the last five seasons, posting a 3-0-2 mark against Rider.
 

Siena
Saturday, Oct. 19 * Ben Cohen Field
 
Series History: Tied, 12-12-5
Last Meeting: Rider, 1-0 (Sept. 16, 2023; Loudonville, NY)
2023 Record: 4-9-4 (3-4-3 MAAC)
2023 Postseason: N/A
Quickly: Rider won its second-straight over Siena with a 1-0 win last Sept. 16 to tie the all-time series at 12-12-5. Chloe Fisher scored the game winner in the 48^th minute, unleashing a shot from just over the midfield stripe into the left upper 90 for the game's only tally.


Saint Peter's
Wednesday, Oct. 23 * Jersey City, NJ
 
Series History: Rider leads, 23-5-1
Last Meeting: Rider, 3-1 (Oct. 4, 2023; Jersey City, NJ)
2023 Record: 4-11-0 (2-8-0 MAAC)
2023 Postseason: N/A
Quickly: Rider has dominated the series with Saint Peter's, 23-5-1. The Peacocks won the first two matches in 1997 and 1998, but it's been all Broncs ever since, including two seven-game winning streaks, another five-game winning streak and an unbeaten stretch of 10 matches from 2012 to Spring 2021. Most recently, the Broncs took a 3-1 win last Oct. 4 in Jersey City on the strength of goals from Hannah Freeman, Chloe Fisher and Olivia Smith. Head Coach Drayson Hounsome's teams are 14-2-1 against Saint Peter's since he took over as Rider Head Coach for the 2008 season.    


Marist
Saturday, Oct. 26 * Poughkeepsie, NY
 
Series History: Marist leads, 17-10-1
Last Meeting: Marist, 1-0 (Sept. 9, 2023; Lawrenceville, NJ)
2023 Record: 2-9-5 (2-5-3 MAAC)
2023 Postseason: N/A
Quickly: Marist snapped a three-game Rider winning streak in the series last Sept. 9, taking a 1-0 win on Ben Cohen Field. However, the win was one of few highlights on the season as the Red Foxes picked up just two wins on the season.


Mount St. Mary's
Wednesday, Oct. 30 * Ben Cohen Field
 
Series History: Rider leads, 4-2-1
Last Meeting: Mount St. Mary's, 1-0 (Oct. 25, 2023; Lawrenceville, NJ)
2023 Record: 7-9-3 (5-4-1 MAAC)
2023 Postseason: MAAC Semifinals
Quickly: Mount St. Mary's snapped a four-game Rider winning streak in the series last Oct. 25 with a 1-0 win on Ben Cohen Field. While a MAAC Championship berth was on the line when the game began, by the end, both teams had punched their tickets and both would advance to the MAAC Semifinals. Fourth-seeded Mount St. Mary's advanced past No. 5 Niagara on PK's, while the sixth-seeded Broncs took a 1-0 win at No. 3 Canisius.  


MAAC Championships (Top Eight Teams)
All Games at Higher Seed
Quarterfinals: Sunday, Nov. 3
Semifinals: Thursday, Nov. 7
Championship: Sunday, Nov. 10