LOUDONVILLE, NY – Following the postponement of the Fall 2020 sports seasons to the Spring, Siena Men's Soccer will commence its Spring 2021 campaign on Thursday, March 10. The Saints will kick off the Graciano Brito era at Siena in Lawrenceville, New Jersey against MAAC foe Rider, with the match scheduled to begin at 3:00 PM.
Although there will be no live stream to watch the action, live Twitter updates from tomorrow's season opening match will be available by following @SienaSoccer on Twitter. Due to MAAC protocols prohibiting spectators at contests through the end of March, there will be no fans allowed at Thursday's contest.
Thursday's contest will mark the first action in over 14 months for the Saints, and will mark the head coaching debut of Brito, who took over the program as its eighth coach in July 2020. No stranger to the MAAC, Brito spent the past eight seasons as an assistant coach at Quinnipiac and will look to build the team off a 5-12-1 mark in 2019. Siena was picked to finish 11th in the 2021 MAAC Preseason Coaches poll, while Rider was chosen in a tie for sixth place.
The Broncs, who will also begin their season in Thursday's matchup, posted a 7-8-2 record during the 2019 season, falling to eventual MAAC Champion Iona in the 2019 MAAC Tournament Quarterfinals. Dating back to Rider's entry into the league in 1997, the all-time series remains tied at 11-11-5, with Rider having won the last two bouts, including a 1-0 result at Hickey Field last season.
Despite losing its top six offensive performers from the previous season, Siena will return 14 letterwinners from last year's roster, and will bring in 12 newcomers as well. Among the returning familiar faces are former MAAC All-Rookie Team selection Birgir Thorsteinsson, who notched a pair of goals during his sophomore season in 2019, and junior goalkeeper Greg Monroe, who has been the team's starter in-between-the-pipes over the past two years. Siena also brings back defenders Jacob Pacheco, Antonio Linge, and Mark Sojer, who each spent the majority of last season starting on the team's back line.
Following the start of its Spring 2021 season on the road, Siena will open play at home on Thursday, March 18, welcoming in MAAC rival Canisius to Hickey Field at 3:00 PM.
