Friday, October 2, 2026
Rider Broncs (2-8, 2-1 NEC) vs. Merrimack Warriors (1-8, 1-2 NEC)
Location: Lawrenceville, NJ
Time: 6:00 PM
Live Stats: GoBroncs.com 
Broadcast: ESPN+
 
What You Need To Know
- Friday's game will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
- Friday is the team's Recreation Field Hockey and Breast Cancer Awareness Night.
- The Broncs were picked to finish fourth in the NEC Preseason Coaches Poll under second-year head coach Gina Carey-Smith. Rider finished fourth in the NEC last season.
- Rider's top returner is 2025 Second-Team All-NEC honoree, Emma Bonshak (Whitehall, PA/Whitehall). Bonshak is the leader among returners with six goals, three assists, and 15 points. She led all Broncs last season with 1,124 minutes played. So far this season, she leads the Broncs in goals and points.
- Other key returners in the field include  Ang Borisow (Harleysville, PA/Souderton), Kate Mahmud (Downingtown, PA/Downingtown West), Amanda Walker (Stockton, NJ/Hunterdon Central), Ryleigh Damminger (Paulsboro, NJ/GCIT), Martina de Cespedes (Málaga, Spain/Nova School Sunland International), Mackenzie Smith (Hillsborough, NJ/Hillsborough), Samantha Biondi (Bridgewater, NJ/Bridgewater-Raritan [UConn]), Liv Cox (Conestoga, PA/Penn Manor), Hailey Hoffman (Washington, NJ/Warren Hills), and Sam Connolly (Havertown, PA/Cardinal O'Hara). Walker, Cox, and Damminger are tied with Bonshak for the team lead in goals this season.
- Jade Regnart (Cape Town, South Africa/Fairmont) returns as Rider's primary goalie after starting all 18 games, and playing 1,106 of 1,135 minutes last season. Regnart has started every game for the Broncs this season, playing 350 of the team's 365 minutes this year. Regnart enters the weekend ranked seventh in the country, averaging 9.50 saves per game. Her .778 save percentage is second in the NEC and ranks 16^th nationally.
- Rider's roster features players from five different countries, Germany, South Africa, Spain, the Netherlands, and the United States.
- Addison McConnell (Mullica Hill, NJ/Clearview Regional) has been a key defensive player for the Broncs as a freshman, recording a pair of defensive saves this year.
- Caroline Mauer (Weisbaden, Germany/Humboldt Schule) has been the top offensive newcomer, leading the team with three assists this season, including a pair in Rider's conference win over LIU.
- Rider leads the all-time series over the Warriors, 6-1, with Merrimack getting its first-ever win over the Broncs in the meeting last year. Semra Said scored the game's first goal, but the Warriors came from behind with three-straight goals for the win.
- The Warriors are currently 1-8 on the season and 1-2 in NEC play with a win over Mercyhurst. Gianna Cioni, Erin Cottam, and Emily Beichert each have a pair of goals to lead Merrimack this year.