LOUDONVILLE, NY – Following a pair of tough non-conference losses, Siena Men's Soccer (2-3) returns to Hickey Field for the third time this season to face a first-time foe in non-conference play. The Saints will welcome Northeast Conference opponent Merrimack (1-4-1) to Loudonville on Saturday, September 18, with action kicking off at 4:00 pm on ESPN3.
Siena will look to get back in the win column after falling in a 1-0 loss at home to Binghamton last Tuesday and in a 5-0 defeat at Army West Point on Saturday. Senior goalkeeper
Greg Monroe made a combined eight saves last week in the two losses, while freshman midfielder
Zach Gardner steadied the team with three shots.
After snapping a five-match unbeaten streak at home with last week's loss, the Saints will look to continue sustainability on their home turf, with the team holding a 5-5-1 home record since the start of the 2019 season. Eight of the team's last nine home matches have been decided by one goal or less, with the Saints holding a 4-3-2 mark during that time.
The Green and Gold boast five different point scorers through five non-conference matches on the season, with fifth year defender
Jacob Pacheco scoring a pair of goals and freshman midfielder
Jacob Arachchige-Jensen contributing three assists.
The Saints' meeting with the Warriors will mark their second first-time opponent on the year, with the team taking a 1-0 overtime loss at UMass Lowell on August 30. Merrimack is undergoing a transition into NCAA Division I, and is in its third season with a full DI schedule as members of the NEC.
Led by decorated head coach Tony Martone in his 40
th season, Merrimack enters the weekend of a 1-0 shutout win over UMass Lowell, with the deciding goal scored in the 74
th minute by senior Stefano Pesenti. Pesenti leads the team with a pair of goals scored, with a total of four players scoring points thus far on the season. Goalkeeper Alvaro Rodriguez owns 45 saves and a .818 saves percentage while having played every minute this far in-goal. The Warriors began their season with a challenging road trip at Elon and Duke, and have also taken losses to regional opponents Northeastern and Rhode Island while tying Boston University.
The match will air live on ESPN3, with
Joe Mixie calling play-by-play and Alessandro Markovic handing 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.
