Oct. 31, 2010
Box Score
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LOUDONVILLE, N.Y. - Needing a win in their regular season finale to assure themselves a spot in the MAAC Tournament, Siena women's soccer got the job done Sunday defeating Iona 2-0 on Senior Day. With the victory, the Saints clinched the third-seed in next weekend's Chick-fil-A MAAC Women's Soccer Championship and will face second-seeded Marist at 6 p.m. Friday night in Baltimore, Md.
Siena (15-3, 6-3) dominated the Gaels (4-15-1, 2-6-1) throughout, controlling tempo and keeping the ball on the Iona side of the pitch for the vast majority of the game. In the 17th minute Tabitha Tice, who was one of the Saints' eight seniors who participated in their final home game, gave the Saints the 1-0 lead when she finished a beautiful give-and-go with Ashleigh Barone.
The Saints put things away with a Brittany Pfaff goal in the 55'. Lindsay Tegas streaked down the left side and sent a ball into the box to Tice who was in relatively untouched along with Pfaff. Tice tipped the ball over to Pfaff who buried it in the back of the net for her ninth goal of the season.
Siena out-shot the Gaels 19-4 and took five corners to Iona's three. Senior keeper Elizabeth Barna made two saves to record her second shutout and the team's fifth of the season.
Prior to the match, in a good show of sportsmanship by both teams, injured seniors Samantha Butzke for Siena and Ali Werner for Iona with the help of their crutches took the field to make one final start. At the opening kickoff the Saints kicked the ball out of bounds allowing both players to be substituted out of the game in which the crowd followed by giving both seniors a standing ovation.
Siena, which with today's win increased their single-season program-record win total to 15, now advances to take on the Red Foxes in the tournament. Marist defeated the Saints 2-1 eight days ago in Poughkeepsie and eliminated Siena from last year's MAAC Tournament. The other MAAC Tournament matchup features top-seed Canisius and fourth seeded Rider in the preceding match Friday at 3 p.m.
The winner of Friday night's matchup advances to the MAAC Championship match which will be held Sunday on Loyola's campus at 1 p.m.
