LOUDONVILLE, NY – Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Regular Season Champion Siena Women's Soccer continues its quest for a third MAAC Championship Monday at 3 p.m. at Hickey Field. The top-seeded Saints are set to host No. 4 Rider in the MAAC Semifinals on ESPN+. 
 
A.J. Kanell and Isis Young have the call of the match on ESPN+. The broadcast is available by clicking the corresponding link, on smartphones and tablets via the ESPN app, and on televisions through Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Xbox360, and Xbox One.
 
The winner of today's match will advance to the MAAC Championship Match Friday, to take on the winner of this afternoon's tilt between No. 2 Quinnipiac and third-seeded Monmouth in Hamden, Connecticut which also kicks off at 3 p.m.
 
Siena in the MAAC Championships (20^th Appearance)
Record: 13-15-2 (.467)
Championships: 2 (2010, 2015)
Home: 2-0-1
Semifinals: 5-7-2
As No. 1 seed: 1-0
Vs. No. 4 seed: 0-2
Vs. Rider: 0-2
 
Siena is in the midst of the program's milestone 20^th MAAC Tournament appearance, and is in search of the program's third title. The Saints have captured the program's first two MAAC Tournament Championships over the past decade, winning as the No. 3 seed in 2010, before making history as the first – and only – No. 6 seed to claim their second title in 2015.
 
Siena is making the program's seventh MAAC Tournament appearance in the past eight seasons. The Saints had qualified for six straight MAAC Tournaments, before falling short in the program's most recent 2019 campaign.
 
Siena is 13-15-2 all-time in MAAC Tournament matches, punctuated by an impressive recent run. Starting with the program's 2010 Cinderella season – and including Friday's 3-0 quarterfinal result vs. Iona – the Saints have now achieved an 11-5 MAAC Tournament record over the past decade. Siena's 11 wins over that time is second most in the conference, trailing only Monmouth (13), and the Green and Gold have now won at least one MAAC Tournament match in five of their past seven appearances. Prior to 2010, the Saints were just 2-10-2 spanning the program's first 12 MAAC Tournament appearances in their first 18 seasons in the conference.
 
Siena is the No. 1 seed in the MAAC Tournament for the first time after capturing the program's first MAAC Regular Season Championship this spring, coming in their 29^th season of conference competition. The Saints also enter today in search of their first-ever win over a No. 4 seed, having dropped their previous two encounters.
 
Siena has played more matches in the MAAC Semifinals than any other round in the tournament. The Saints are 5-7-2 in MAAC Semifinals matches, having split their last four such contests. Siena is making the program's fifth MAAC Semifinals appearance in six seasons, while looking to advance to the MAAC Championship Match for a sixth time (1996, 2006, 2010, 2015, 2018). Only former MAAC member Loyola (18) and Fairfield (11) have appeared in more MAAC Championship matches than the Saints.
 
Siena is set to play just the program's fourth-ever MAAC Tournament home match, and third on Hickey Field. Prior to Friday's MAAC Quarterfinals win over Iona, the third seeded Saints battled No. 2 Fairfield to a scoreless draw at this facility, before falling 5-4 in a penalty kick shootout in the 2008 MAAC Semifinals. No. 3 Siena defeated sixth-seeded Quinnipiac 2-1 in overtime in the 2018 MAAC Semifinals at their predominant home on the adjacent grass field.
 
The Saints are in search of the program's first-ever MAAC Tournament win over Rider. The Broncs won the initial matchup in the 2004 MAAC Semifinals, with third-seeded Rider defeating No. 2 Siena 3-1 on a neutral field at Fairfield. The fourth-seeded Broncs edged No. 5 Siena 2-1 in the 2014 MAAC Quarterfinals in Lawrenceville en route to Rider's only MAAC Tournament Championship.
 
The Series With Rider (26^th Meeting: Series tied, 10-10-5)
Siena and Rider has been one of the most evenly contested matchups in MAAC history, with the program's having split 26 all-time affairs 10-10-5. Nine of the past 10 matchups have either ended in a tie or been decided by one goal.
 
The teams did not meet during the abbreviated spring season, with the most recent matchup between the programs coming on Sept. 21, 2019 in New Jersey. The squads played to a 1-1 draw that afternoon with Valeria Pascuet scoring for the Broncs, while current senior Jayanna Monds scored the equalizer for the Saints in the 84^th minute. Current junior and then freshman Ashleigh Sarafin scored the lone goal in Siena's 1-0 triumph in 2018 over Rider here in Loudonville.
 
Scouting Siena (5-0-1)
Siena cruised to the program's fifth MAAC Semifinals berth in six seasons with a 3-0 victory over eighth seeded Iona Friday at Hickey Field. Katrina Kurtz, Annie Bagnall, and Monds all scored for the Saints who recorded their milestone 300^th all-time win in now the program's 41^st varsity season. Siena out-shot the Gaels 18-4, with Brooke Boermeester needing to make just one save to post her second clean sheet in as many outings to begin her collegiate career.
 
The Saints entered this season's unique postseason riding high after capturing the program's first-ever MAAC Regular Season Championship. Prior to this spring, the Saints had never before finished higher than second in the regular season standings (2004, 2009, 2016) since joining the MAAC for women's soccer in 1992. The regular season championship was quite an accomplishment for the Green and Gold after being predicted to finish eighth according to the MAAC Preseason Coaches' Poll.
 
Siena went undefeated in five matches spanning a 10-day regular season sprint to the title. After initially having the league bye on Mar. 9, the Saints then endured a COVID-related pause before finally opening their long-awaited season on Mar. 25 vs. Iona. The season-opener marked the first match in 512 days for Siena.
 
The Saints have outscored their opponents by a whopping 16-2 margin spanning their six matches this spring, while posting four clean sheets defensively. Siena currently ranks third nationally in assists per match (3.17), fifth in save percentage (.935), seventh in both points per match (8.50) and goals against average (0.32), and eighth in scoring offense (2.67).
 
The Saints have boasted the MAAC's Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week each of the past two weeks. Krohn earned offensive acclaim Mar. 30 and McNelis this past Monday, while Leslie Adams has been tabbed the MAAC Defensive Player of the Week each of the past two weeks. McNelis paces Siena with nine points on the strength of four goals in six matches, while the junior Adams, who made her collegiate debut just this spring, ranks eighth nationally in save percentage (.926), 14th in saves per match (6.25), and 25th in goals against average (0.47). Meanwhile Lomino has dished out five assists six matches, ranking eighth nationally in assists per match (0.83).
 
The Saints are led by the steady hand of Steve Karbowski. Now in his 22^nd season at the helm at his alma mater, the native of nearby Clifton Park, New York is the winningest coach in program history with 193 victories to date. Karbowski, who has led Siena to the program's first two MAAC Tournament Championships (2010, 2015), became the first head coach in league history to eclipse 100 career MAAC Regular Season victories in 2019.
 
Scouting Rider (4-1-2)
Predicted to finish third according to the MAAC Preseason Coaches' Poll, Rider received the No. 4 seed in the MAAC Tournament. The Broncs enter today's matchup winners of three straight, highlighted by their second win in six days over Manhattan in the MAAC Quarterfinals Friday. Mackenzie Rodrigues and Hannah Freeman each scored second half goals as Rider rallied past the fifth-seeded Jaspers in Lawrenceville.
 
Today's matchup pits the MAAC's top-two scoring offenses in Siena (2.67) and Rider (2.0). The Broncs' Mackenzie Rodrigues leads the MAAC in points (14), goals (six), shots per match (4.60), and shots on target per match (2.80).
 
Rider is in search of the program's first MAAC Championship, after having captured their lone Tournament title in 2014. The Broncs were also seeded fourth that season and defeated Siena on their way to the championship. Rider has three times previously advanced to the MAAC Championship Match in 2014, 2004, and 2002. The Broncs are making their eighth straight MAAC Tournament appearance this spring.