LOUDONVILLE, NY – In a renewal of a longtime rivalry with its closest conference foe, Siena Men's Soccer (6-6-2, 2-3-1) will look to end a two-match losing skid and send off its graduating class on a high note Saturday afternoon. The Saints are set to welcome first place Marist (8-6-1, 5-2) to Hickey Field at 3 PM, with the match broadcast live on ESPN+.
 
Siena returns home for three of its final four regular season contests scheduled inside the friendly confines of Loudonville, New York, and will look to shake off a road trip that featured a pair of 3-1 losses over the last week-and-a-half. The Green and Gold let up three goals in four minutes at Niagara on October 13, and a pair in the second half at Iona on October 20, with a bye date coming in-between. Freshman Jacob Sandun Arachchige-Jensen scored against the Purple Eagles, while sophomore Cole Hellert recorded his second career goal versus the Gaels.
 
The Saints enter Saturday with a stellar 4-1-1 home mark, and have a chance to lock up their second consecutive season with a winning record at home. Siena tied Fairfield, 2-2, in its most recent home action on October 9 to extend what is currently a four-match unbeaten streak at home. All six home matches this season have been decided by one goal or less.
 
With only four regular season dates remaining on the schedule, Siena will look to gain traction for what would be its second consecutive berth in the MAAC Tournament under second year head coach Graciano Brito. The Green and Gold currently sit in eighth place in the MAAC with seven points, with the top-8 teams in the league standings advancing to the quarterfinal round. The Saints will face three of the current top-5 teams in the league during its final regular season ventures (Marist, Monmouth, Rider).
 
The team now boasts 15 different point scorers on the year, with Arachchige-Jensen's 11 points leading the pack by way of three goals and five assists. Sophomore Bilal Hersi leads the squad with four goals, while fifth year Jacob Pacheco, Hellert, and freshmen Frederic Storodegard, Thomas Storodegard, and Zach Gardner have each scored twice. Senior goalkeeper Greg Monroe holds a 1.61 goals-against average with 62 saves this season, and will move into a three-way tie for second all-time with his next appearance. Monroe sits top-five in career appearances (57), saves (256), goalkeeper minutes played (5239:44), and wins (17).
 
Coming off a monster shutout win at Monmouth and riding a three-match win streak, Marist sits atop the MAAC standings with 15 points and now owns the head-to-head tiebreaker against the defending champion Hawks. The Red Foxes have outscored their last three opponents, 8-2, including a pair of shutouts during that time to pull ahead in the conference standings. After not taking the field at all last season, Marist returned all but two players to its roster this season and also brings in 15 different point scorers, with junior Stefan Copetti leading the way with eight goals and three assists for 19 total points. Picked to finish fifth in the MAAC Preseason Coaches Poll, Marist saw head coach Matt Viggiano gain his 100^th career victory on October 13 in the team's 4-2 win over Rider.
 
Marist owns a 28-16-3 advantage in the all-time series dating back to the Saints' first varsity season in 1974, with the teams set to meet for the first time since a 2-1 Marist overtime victory on October 12, 2019. The Red Foxes have won three of the last four in the series, while Siena has taken four of the last seven since 2014, despite having not won over Marist at home since 2014. Seven of the last eight meetings between the two have been decided by one goal, with Siena 4-3 during those games.
 
Prior to the start of the Saints' final weekend home game of the season, the team will recognize the four members of its graduating class, with Pacheco, Monroe, defender Antonio Linge, and midfielder Birgir Thorsteinsson being honored. All four have been key contributors on the team during their time in Loudonville, with Monroe & Thorsteinsson four-year members of the team and Pacheco & Linge in the Green and Gold for the past three.
 
The match will air live on ESPN+, with Kelly O'Donnell calling play-by-play and Joe Mixie handling color commentary. Continuous in-game sideline updates will be provided via the men's soccer team's official twitter page @SienaSoccer. Join the conversation by using the hashtags #MarchOn, #SienaSaints, and #MAACSoccer. A total of eight men's soccer home matches are scheduled to be broadcast this fall, including three on the ESPN Family of Networks.
 
Fans wishing to attend any Siena Athletics games held on campus are required to adhere to the Siena Athletics Spectator Policy. All spectators are required to complete the Siena Athletics Spectator Screening Form at sienasaints.com/spectatorregistration, and receive clearance to attend, prior to their arrival on campus. All spectators must be vaccinated to be able to attend and are required to bring proof of vaccination with them to campus. Unvaccinated children 12 and under must remain masked at all times. Spectators are requested to enter campus via Route 9 through the College's main gate on Loudon Road and check in at the Welcome Booth. All forms of tailgating are also currently prohibited at this time. This policy is guided by the alert level established by Siena College's COVID-19 Operations Team and is subject to change based on current conditions. Siena College and the athletic department will continue to monitor developments and alert spectators of any adjustments made to this policy.