LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. – The Rider University men's soccer team announced their schedule for the upcoming 2026 campaign with a slate of 16 games, with their first match against James Madison University taking place on Thursday, August 20 away in Harrisonburg. The Broncs return a week later to open their 2026 home schedule with a match against Howard at Ben Cohen Field in Lawrenceville on August 28. Rider opens their Metro Conference campaign on Saturday, September 19 with a home match against Quinnipiac.

Aside from JMU and Howard, the Broncs will play four other non-conference matches before Metro Conference play starts in September. The Broncs first travel to Teaneck, NJ, facing off against FDU on August 31 before returning home to play NJIT and Saint Joseph's on September 4 and September 8 respectively. Rider plays one final non-conference match in Philadelphia against La Salle on September 12 before conference play begins against Quinnipiac.

After their match against the Bobcats, the Broncs hit the road for a two-game away trip, facing off against Canisius and Iona on September 26 and September 30 before returning home to play Niagara on October 3 to start the month. A trip to North Andover, Massachusetts on October 10 awaits the Broncs as they play Merrimack before returning home once again to play Mount St. Mary's at Ben Cohen on October 14.

The Broncs travel back to New York to play Manhattan on October 17 before hosting Marist on October 24. Rider travels to Fairfield, Connecticut on Halloween to play against sacred heart before coming back to Lawrenceville one last time to play Saint Peter's to round out the metro Conference regular season.

AWAY DAY MILEAGE
During the 2026 season, the Broncs will travel a total of 2,676 miles for their eight away games, with their longest away trip against Canisius checking in at 790 miles round trip while their shortest trip against La Salle comes in at 84 miles round trip.

JMU (Non-Conference)
Thursday, August 20, Sentara Park (Harrisonburg, VA)

Series History: JMU leads, 1-7
2025 Record: 1-10-5 (0-6-3 Sun Belt)
2025 Postseason: N/A
Quick Notes: Their match in Harrisonburg on August 20 will play to the first meeting between the Broncs and the Dukes in nearly 30 years, as the two teams have not faced off in a non-conference match up since 1997.
 
Howard (Non-Conference)
Friday, August 28, Ben Cohen Field (Lawrenceville, NJ)

Series History: Howard leads, 1-2
2025 Record: 5-11-2 (3-5-1 Northeast Conference)
2025 Postseason: N/A
Quick Notes: 2026 will also play host to the first meeting between the Broncs and the Bison since 1997, with Rider last claiming victory over Howard during that meeting. Both teams met for the first time in competition during the 1988 season.
 
Fairleigh Dickinson (Non-Conference)
Monday, August 31, University Stadium (Teaneck, NJ)

Series History: FDU leads, 15-19-4
Last Meeting: Draw, 1-1(Aug. 24, 2019; Lawrenceville, NJ)
2025 Record: 13-5-3 (7-1-1 Northeast Conference)
2025 Postseason: NEC Champions; NCAA First Round
Quick Notes: Meeting for the first time in 1954, the Knights have accumulated a winning record over the Broncs, recording 19 program wins against the Lawrenceville club as compared to the Broncs 15 wins. Rider travels to Teaneck to face off against last year's Northeast Conference champions in search of their first win against Fairleigh Dickinson since 2017.
 
NJIT (Non-Conference)
Friday, September 4, Ben Cohen Field (Lawrenceville, NJ)

Series History: Rider leads, 5-3-5
Last Meeting: Loss, 1-0 (Sept. 6, 2025; Newark, NJ)
2025 Record: 3-9-5 (1-4-2 America East)
2025 Postseason: N/A
Quick Notes: Besides their 1-0 loss to the Highlanders during the 2025 season, the Broncs have either recorded a win or a draw against NJIT dating back to 2021, with their meeting in 2024 yielding a 2-1 victory at Ben Cohen. After an early goal by the Highlanders in the 8^th minute, Ezra Punselie drew the game up with a goal in the 26^th minute followed by the winning goal by Momo Diop in the 73^rd minute to round out the win for the Broncs in Lawrenceville in 2024.
 
Saint Joseph's (Non-Conference)
Tuesday, September 8, Ben Cohen Field (Lawrenceville, NJ)

Series History: Saint Joseph's leads, 15-21-6
Last Meeting: Loss, 1-0 (Sept. 9, 2025; Philadelphia, PA)
2025 Record: 6-7-5 (3-2-3 Atlantic 10)
2025 Postseason: A-10 Playoff First Round (Lost 5-4 on Penalties to Fordham) 
Quick Notes: The Broncs and the Hawks played out to a 2-1 win for the home side in Philadelphia during the 2025 non-conference campaign, with Gio Polizzi grabbing the Bronc's only goal during the match in the 53^rd minute to initially tie the game. Before then, the Broncs had a three game win streak going dating back to 2015, with Rider outscoring Saint Joseph's 9-1 during that period.
 
La Salle (Non-Conference)
Saturday, September 12, McCarthy Stadium (Philadelphia, PA)

Series History: Rider leads, 14-12-2
Last Meeting: Draw, 2-2 (Aug. 29, 2025; Lawrenceville, NJ)
2025 Record: 4-5-8 (2-2-4 Atlantic 10)
2025 Postseason: A-10 Playoff First Round
Quick Notes: The Explorers grabbed a late goal during the 2025 edition of the fixture to tie the game at 2-2 in the 85^th minute in Lawrenceville. During their two meetings prior to last year, Rider had outscored the Explorers 6-2, claiming wins in both Lawrenceville and Philadelphia.
 
Quinnipiac (Metro Conference)
Saturday, September 19, Ben Cohen Field (Lawrenceville, NJ)

Series History: Rider leads, 8-5-1
Last Meeting: Win, 2-0 (Oct. 12, 2024; Lawrenceville, NJ)
2025 Record: 7-10-1 (5-5-0 MAAC)
2025 Postseason: MAAC Playoff First Round
Quick Notes: Absent from the Broncs 2025 MAAC Schedule, Quinnipiac will return to Ben Cohen Field in Lawrenceville for the opening round of this year's Metro Conference campaign. The Bobcats tallied an even five wins and five losses during the 2025 conference season, losing in the first round of the playoffs to Iona by a score line of 5-0.
 
Canisius (Metro Conference)
Saturday, September 26, Demske Sports Complex (Buffalo, NY)

Series History: Rider leads, 15-11-4
Last Meeting: Loss, 1-0 (Sept. 20, 2025; Lawrenceville, NJ)
2025 Record: 5-10-1 (3-7 MAAC)
2025 Postseason: N/A
Quick Notes: Canisius were on the positive side of a 1-0 victory during last year's match against Rider at Ben Cohen, grabbing a late goal in the 76^th minute. Facing off against each other on only two other occasions since 2022, the Broncs recorded a 1-0 win in Lawrenceville during the 2022 campaign and a 2-2 draw during the 2023 campaign in Buffalo.
Iona (Metro Conference)
Wednesday, September 30, Mazzella Field (New Rochelle, NY)

Series History: Rider leads, 16-15-2
Last Meeting: Loss, 3-0 (Oct. 18, 2025; Lawrenceville, NJ)
2025 Record: 9-4-5 (6-1-3 MAAC)
2025 Postseason: MAAC Semi-Finals
Quick Notes: The Gaels claimed a 3-0 win in mid-October during the 2025 season against the Broncs, continuing a three-game win streak against the Broncs dating back to 2024. Rider last claimed a win against Iona during the 2023 MAAC Championship game as Babacar Diene's 83^rd minute goal claimed a 2-1 win against the Gaels and a Championship for Rider.
 
Niagara (Metro Conference)
Saturday, October 3, Ben Cohen Field (Lawrenceville, NJ)

Series History: Rider leads, 14-9-4
Last Meeting: Loss, 2-1 (Sept. 27, 2025; Niagara University, NY)
2025 Record: 8-7-1 (5-4-1 MAAC)
2025 Postseason: MAAC Playoff First Round
Quick Notes: Niagara bowed out of the 2025 MAAC Playoff's last year with a 4-1 first round loss to Fairfield in Connecticut. The Purple Eagles rounded out a 2-1 win against the Broncs during last year's conference campaign in late September, with Theo Da Silva grabbing the only goal for Rider during the game in the 67^th minute.
 
Merrimack (Metro Conference)
Saturday, October 10, Martone-Mejail Field (North Andover, MA)

Series History: Rider leads, 1-0-0
Last Meeting: Win, 2-1 (Oct. 5, 2024; North Andover, MA)
2025 Record: 4-9-3 (2-6-2 MAAC)
2025 Postseason: MAAC Playoff First Round
Quick Notes: Rider has played Merrimack on only one occasion in the history of both programs, playing out to a 2-1 Broncs win in October of 2024, with Theo Da Silva and Momo Diop grabbing two second half goals for the comeback win against the Warriors.
 
Mount St. Mary's (Metro Conference)
Wednesday, October 14, Ben Cohen Field (Lawrenceville, NJ)

Series History: Tied, 7-7
Last Meeting: Win, 2-0 (Nov. 5, 2025; Emmitsburg, MD)
2025 Record: 3-9-5 (3-6-1 MAAC)
2025 Postseason: N/A
Quick Notes: The Broncs notched a 2-0 win in Emmitsburg last year against the Mount, with goals from Max Schrader and Xavi Csato leveling the all time series at seven wins and seven losses. The Broncs are currently on a three-game win streak against Mount St. Mary's, with their last loss coming in the form of a 3-2 loss in Lawrenceville in 2022.
 
Manhattan (Metro Conference)
Saturday, October 17, Gaelic Park (Riverdale, NY)

Series History: Rider leads, 15-8-6
Last Meeting: Draw, 1-1 (Oct. 1, 2025; Lawrenceville, NJ)
2025 Record: 4-8-4 (3-4-3 MAAC)
2025 Postseason: N/A
Quick Notes: Patryk Rojek's goal in the 78^th minute of last year's edition of the fixture rescued a 1-1 draw between the Broncs and the Jaspers. The Bronc's last trip to Gaelic Park in 2024 yielded a 2-0 win for the visitors as Ezra Punselie and Momo Diop combined once more for scores to grab the win.
 
Marist (Metro Conference)
Saturday, October 24, Ben Cohen Field (Lawrenceville, NJ)

Series History: Rider leads, 18-13-5
Last Meeting: Win, 3-1 (Oct. 24, 2025; Poughkeepsie, NY)
2025 Record: 8-4-4 (4-4-2 MAAC)
2025 Postseason: N/A
Quick Notes: Rider was on the wrong side of a 3-1 defeat to Marist during the 2025 conference campaign in upstate New York, with Xavi Csato notching the only goal for the Broncs in the game during the 13^th minute. Prior to last year's game, Rider had notched two wins and two draws dating back to 2022, recording 2-1 and a 3-1 wins in 2023 alone.
 
Sacred Heart (Metro Conference)
Saturday, October 31, Park Avenue Field (Fairfield CT)

Series History: Rider leads, 2-1-0
Last Meeting: Loss, 2-1 (Nov. 1, 2025; Lawrenceville, NJ)
2025 Record: 9-4-5 (7-0-3 MAAC)
2025 Postseason: MAAC Semi-Finals
Quick Notes: Lovro Kostanjšek tied the game for the Broncs in the 26^th minute during their 2025 meeting only for Sacred Heart to bag a winning goal in the 82^nd minute to round out the conference loss. In their two other meeting in program history, Rider has outscored the Pioneers 3-1 across both of their wins in 2023 and 2024.
 
Saint Peter's (Metro Conference)
Wednesday, November 4, Ben Cohen Field (Lawrenceville, NJ)

Series History: Rider leads, 25-15-3
Last Meeting: Loss, 1-0 (Oct. 15, 2024; Jersey City, NJ)
2025 Record: 4-10-2 (2-7-1 MAAC)
2025 Postseason: N/A
Quick Notes: Rider men's soccer caps off their 2026 metro Conference schedule with a battle against their in-state rivals, Saint Peter's. The Peacocks played out to a 1-0 win last year in Jersey City, grabbing a goal at the beginning of the second half in the 45^th minute.

Metro Conference Championships
All Games at Higher Seed
Quarterfinals: Saturday, Nov. 7
Semifinals: Wednesday, Nov. 11
Championship: Saturday, Nov. 14