LOUDONVILLE, NY – Following a three-game road trip to begin the 2019 season, Siena Men's Soccer (1-2) will take to Hickey Field for the first time to battle a fresh face on Sunday afternoon. The Saints are set to host Northeast Conference opponent Bryant (0-2) for the first time in program history at 1:00 p.m. and will look to remain undefeated against NEC opponents on the year in the process.
A.J. Kanell and former Siena Soccer standout Danilo Markovic will have the call of the home opener on Siena All-Access which can be viewed free of charge by clicking the corresponding link. Live stats and pressbox twitter updates will also be provided via the links at the top of the page.
After going 1-1 on the road to begin play last weekend, the Saints traveled south to Army West Point Friday evening, taking the Black Knights into overtime on the road before falling in the 100th minute, 2-1. Sophomore Aaron Martin registered his first points of the season in the loss, scoring the Saints' lone goal via a header off a deflection in the 68th minute.
Let by captains Jacob Pacheco, Eddie Dakwa and Greg Monroe, the squad boasts five different goal scorers and six different point scorers three games into the young season. Rebounding from a 4-0 shutout in their season opener at Lafayette on August 30, the team jetted out to a 4-0 advantage at 2019 NEC Preseason Favorite Saint Francis (PA) two days later, ultimately taking home a 4-2 victory. Senior Conor McGlynn and junior Alejandro Riquelme each put up a goal and two assists in the contest, while sophomores Birgir Thorsteinsson and Samuel Schwarz found the back of the net once, with Schwarz notching his first collegiate score.
Both McGlynn and Schwarz were rewarded for their performances in the win, with each taking home honors in the first edition of the MAAC Weekly Awards. McGlynn was named MAAC Offensive Player of the Week for the first time in his collegiate career, while Schwarz took home his first MAAC Rookie of the Week accolade. McGlynn was also named to TopDrawerSoccer.com's Team of the Week for his performance.
Now in his seventh season at the helm of the program, Head Coach Cesar Markovic added 11 newcomers to the squad in the offseason, including eight freshmen and three mid-year transfers who joined the team back in January. Among the fresh faces, Pacheco captured the 2018 NJCAA Division 1 National Championship with Pima Community College (AZ), while sophomore Tyler Swanbeck was selected as the 2018 United Soccer Coaches National Scholar Player of the Year while attending prep school at Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, NH.
Siena is looking to improve from a 5-10-3 mark from last season, including a 4-4-1 record at Hickey Field, The Saints will take to the turf for the first time since the field was renamed in honor of Ambassador Douglas T. Hickey '77, H '16 back in April 2019. The Saints have posted a mark of .500 or better at home in 11 of the last 12 seasons overall.
One season after advancing to the NEC Championship Game, the Bryant Bulldogs are in search of their first win of the year following a pair of losses in a season-opening trip to California last weekend. The team took a 1-0 shutout loss at UC Riverside on Friday, August 30, before losing at Cal State Fullerton, 2-1, two days later.
Selected to finish fourth in the 2019 NEC Preseason Coaches Poll, the Bulldogs are led offensively by 2018 top scorer and NEC All-Rookie Team selection Ben Williams and return 20 total members from last season's squad while welcoming in nine newcomers.
