Thursday, November 6, 2025
No. 4 Rider Broncs (8-9, 5-4 NEC) vs. No. 1 Fairfield Stags (13-5, 9-0 NEC)
Location: Fairfield, CT
Time: 11:00 AM
Live Stats: FairfieldStags.com
Broadcast: ESPN+
 
What You Need To Know
- Thursday's contest will be streamed on ESPN+.
- The Broncs finished fourth in the NEC under new head coach Gina Carey-Smith to qualify for the NEC Tournament for the second-straight season. The Stags completed a perfect NEC regular season to earn the conference's top seed in this week's tournament.
- Rider has won eight NEC Tournament Championships, claiming the crown in 2000, '02, '04, '10, '11, '12, '20-'21, and '22.
- Valeria Perales (Madrid, Spain/IES Mirasierra) led the Broncs earlier in the season, helping the Broncs extend their winning streak to four-straight games, scoring twice in both of Rider's victories last week. Against Mercyhurst, Perales scored the game's second and fifth goals in a 5-1 Rider win. The senior then scored the game-tying goal with just over nine minutes remaining in regulation before scoring the game-winner in double overtime to beat La Salle. Perales was named NEC Offensive Player of the Week, then made program history by becoming the first Bronc ever to be named NFHCA Division I Offensive Player of the Week. The senior also scored twice, including the overtime game winner against Wagner, securing Rider's berth in the NEC Tournament and earning her another NEC Player of the Week honor.
- Rider won its sixth-straight season opener, defeating Colgate, 3-0, to open the season. Goalie Jade Regnart (Cape Town, South Africa/Fairmont) earned her fifth career shutout in the contest. She has played all but 30 minutes in net for the Broncs this season. She was named NEC Defensive Player of the Week for her effort. She also earned NEC Defensive Player of the Week honors after posting her sixth career shutout against New Haven and following up that performance with a then career-high 14 saves in a 2-1 win over Sacred Heart. The sophomore topped that mark with 17 saves against Georgetown.
- Semra Said (Mannheim, Germany/Feudenheim Gymnasium Mannheim) scored the game-winning goal against Colgate early in the season to earn NEC Offensive Player of the Week honors. Later in the season, Said scored a pair of goals, first a go-ahead goal in the fourth quarter, then the game-winning goal in double overtime to lead the Broncs past Georgetown.
- Rider returns a pair of First-Team All-NEC performers from a season ago in Perales and Megan Normile (New Egypt, NJ/New Egypt), who were both named to the NFHCA 2025 Collegiate Watchlist, powered by Performance Sports Events.
- Emma Bonshak (Whitehall, PA/Whitehall) and Anna Finn (Windsor, NY/Windsor Central) both joined Normile, Said, and Perales as Rider's top five in points this season. Perales led Rider and was third in the conference with 13 goals and 32 points. Said added seven goals and five assists for 19 points. Bonshak, Finn, and Normile finished with 15, 14, and 12 points, respectively.
- In all, 11 Broncs have recorded at least one point this season.
- Rider's roster features players from four different countries, Germany, South Africa, Spain, and the United States.
- Rider leads the all-time series over the Stags 20-14, and the two are no strangers when it comes to NEC Tournament play. Since the NEC began sponsoring field hockey again in the 2019 season, the teams have combined for five of six NEC Tournament titles and six of the seven NEC Regular Season Championships. In the past six seasons, the squads have faced of four times, with the Stags holding a 3-1 edge in those contests, including the NEC Semifinal last season, where the Stags came away with a 2-1 victory en route to the NEC Tournament Championship. In the meeting earlier this season, the Stags jumped out to a 3-1 halftime lead, before going on to take the win 7-1. The seniors on this team have had success in the NEC Tournament against Fairfield, as back in 2022 Perales scored in overtime of the NEC Championship Game to give Rider a 2-1 win and send the Broncs to the NCAA Tournament.