Friday, August 28, 2026
Rider Broncs (0-0) vs. Hofstra Pride (0-0)
Location: Hempstead, NY
Time: 3:00 PM
Live Stats: GoHofstra.com 
Broadcast: Flo College
 
What You Need To Know
- Friday's game at Hofstra will be the season opener for both teams.
- 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 has won six-straight season openers, defeating Colgate, 3-0 in 2025 and 5-1 in 2024, Central Michigan, 4-3, in 2023, Bellarmine, 4-1, in 2022, La Salle, 3-2, in overtime in 2021, and LIU, 1-0, in the spring 2021 campaign.
- Ride'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.
- 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]), Hailey Hoffman (Washington, NJ/Warren Hills), and Sam Connolly (Havertown, PA/Cardinal O'Hara)
- 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.
- Rider's roster features players from five different countries, Germany, South Africa, Spain, the Netherlands, and the United States.
- Rider leads the all-time series over Hofstra 17-16, but the Pride defeated the Broncs 3-2 in an a shootout last season, after Hofstra scored in the fourth quarter to tie the game.
- The Pride were 9-9 last season and 2-3 in CAA play. Hofstra was defeated in the CAA Semifinals by Monmouth.