Thursday, Aug. 21, 2025
Rider Broncs (0-0-0, 0-0-0 MAAC) vs. Villanova Wildcats (0-0-0, 0-0-0 Big East)
Location: Villanova, PA – Higgins Soccer Complex
Kickoff: 4 p.m.
Live Video: YouTube
Live Stats: Villanova.com

What You Need To Know
- The Rider University men's soccer team opens the 2025 season on Thursday afternoon at Villanova.
- The Broncs have won the 2023 MAAC Tournament Championship and earned a share of the 2024 MAAC Regular Season Championship in Head Coach Chad Duernberger's two seasons leading Rider. Rider's 26 wins over the last two seasons rank ninth in NCAA Division I after he inherited a three-win team from 2022.
- Rider was picked second in the MAAC Preseason Coaches' Poll, behind only Iona. The Broncs and Gaels have met in each of the last two MAAC Championship Games, with Rider taking the 2023 contest and Iona earning an overtime victory in 2024.
- Senior midfielder Theo Da Silva was named MAAC Preseason Co-Player of the Year after earning All-MAAC Second Team honors in his first year with the Broncs last year. Da Silva started 16 of 17 games played, scored three goals and dished out five assists, tying for the team lead and good for fifth in the MAAC.
- Sophomore defender Max Schrader joined Da Silva on the Preseason All-MAAC Team after starting all 19 matches played on the Broncs' back line in his freshman campaign, playing 90 or more minutes 16 times and no fewer than 76 minutes in any match. He played a total of 1,688 minutes on the season, serving in an invaluable role on a Rider defense that allowed just 14 goals, posted a 0.69 goals-against average (3rd – NCAA) and 10 shutouts (.500 shutout percentage – 4th – NCAA), all league bests.
- Rider owns a 5-3 lead in the all-time series with Villanova. However, the Wildcats have won the last two meetings, most recently taking a 2-0 win in the 2021 season opener. Rider's last win over the Wildcats came on a Christian Flath golden goal with two seconds remaining in the first overtime in 2016.
- The Wildcats were picked sixth in the six-team East Division of the BIG EAST Preseason Coaches' Poll. Villanova lost 91.3 percent of its goal scoring (21 of 23) from a year ago. Michael teDuits is the lone returning goal scorer from 2024 with two goals to go along with three assists. Luke Haggerty and Josh Oladele also contributed two assists apiece last year for Villanova. Sebastian Cutler-DeJesus returns in net for the Wildcats after starting the majority of the team's games and posting a 2.17 GAA over 12 games played in 2024.
- The Broncs have had eight All-MAAC selections in each of the last two seasons, establishing and repeating the program record. Lost from last year's squad are MAAC Golden Boot recipient Momo Diop (transferred to Marshall) and MAAC Golden Glove honoree Adam Salama (transferred to San Diego), along with five other graduated seniors. Da Silva, who earned Second Team honors, is the lone returner.
- The Broncs' six MAAC Championships are second-most in conference history and most by a current member (Loyola (Md.) – 12). Loyola had won eight-straight MAAC titles prior to the Broncs joining the league in 1997, at which point Rider snapped the Greyhounds' streak and won consecutive championships (1997, 1998). The Broncs' six titles edge Fairfield's five for most among current members.