LOUDONVILLE, NY – Following a season long three-match road trip, Siena Women's Soccer returns to the friendly confines of Hickey Field for a pair of pivotal MAAC matches this week. The Saints host Canisius Wednesday at 4 p.m., with I-87 rival Marist set to come to town for a 1 p.m. kick Saturday.
 
Siena (1-7-3, 0-2-1) enters the week looking to build off an even 1-1-1 road trip which was highlighted by the Saints' first victory of the season on Sept. 22 at crosstown rival UAlbany. Siena capped its road swing with its first point in conference action Saturday, battling Manhattan to a scoreless draw in Riverdale. Junior goalkeeper Angela Fini made six saves to record her first collegiate shutout against the Jaspers, which resulted in the Saints' second scoreless stalemate this season.
 
Now Siena looks to build upon its recent momentum, with the halfway point in their conference schedule coming this weekend. Junior striker Annie Bagnall continues to pace the Saints offensively, having recorded half of the team's eight goals to date for a team-leading eight points. Defensively, Fini has made eight of the squad's 11 starts in goal, and her 51 saves rank second in the MAAC.
 
Predicted to finish fourth according to the MAAC Preseason Coaches' Poll, Siena is set to take on a pair of squads this week who were projected to finish below them in Canisius (10^th) and Marist (T-5^th), as they look to move up the conference leaderboard.
 
Following a winless campaign last season, Wednesday's opponent Canisius (3-3-5, 1-1-2) enters play with a respectable .500 overall record to go along with a whopping five ties over their first 11 matches. The Golden Griffins topped perennial league contender Rider 2-1 on Sept. 17 for their first MAAC win in two seasons, but have recorded a loss and a pair of scoreless ties since. Canisius is winless over its last 24 road matches (0-18-6), with its last road win coming on Sept. 28, 2019 at Manhattan. The Saints defeated the Griffs in their ensuing road match to begin their current streak.
 
Siena and Canisius meet for the 34^th time, with the Saints holding a commanding 22-10-1 advantage. Siena has won five straight in the series, and is unbeaten in 11 of their last 12 meetings (10-1-1) overall with the Golden Griffins, including an unblemished mark over their past six matchups in Loudonville (5-0-1). Canisius is in search of its first win over the Saints since a 1-0 triumph in Buffalo on Oct. 26, 2016, and their first victory in Loudonville dating back to a 1-0 win on Oct. 18, 2009. Siena won last season 3-1 on Oct. 6 in Buffalo, despite being out-shot 20-10. Katrina Kurtz (16'), Emily McNelis (22'), and Carrie Krohn (41') all registered first half goals for the Saints, while Luca Fahmer (26') scored for the Golden Griffins.  
 
Saturday's opponent Marist (3-3-4, 1-2-1) enters the week fresh off its first league win with a 2-1 victory Saturday vs. Iona. Notre Dame transfer Nicole Colantuono leads the Red Foxes with nine points on the strength of four goals so far this season.
 
Siena also holds an advantage over Marist in their all-time series, with a 17-13-2 mark heading into the 33^rd meeting. The Saints are a stellar 8-2-1 over their past 11 matchups with the Red Foxes, although Marist won 1-0 the last time the programs met in Loudonville on Oct. 12, 2019. Siena secured a 1-0 triumph last season on Oct. 9 in Poughkeepsie, which marked head coach Steve Karbowski's milestone 200^th career win.
 
Wednesday's match vs. Canisius will be broadcast on ESPN+, while Saturday's tilt against Marist will air on ESPN3.