LOUDONVILLE, NY – In the midst of a three-match unbeaten streak against non-conference opponents, Siena Men's Soccer (4-1-1) returns home Wednesday afternoon for possibly its toughest challenge yet. The Saints will host regional powerhouse #22 Vermont (5-1-1) at Hickey Field on Wednesday, September 21 at 4 PM in its final non-conference home tilt of the year.
Wednesday's match will be aired live on ESPN+, with the "Voice of the Saints" Emmanuel Berbari handing play-by-play duties and Patrick Meany providing color commentary. Live stats will be available on SienaSaints.com, while live up-to-the-minute updates will be available by following @SienaSoccer on Twitter.
After receiving votes in two of the first four United Soccer Coaches National Polls, Vermont entered the Top-25 in Tuesday's poll for the first time this season. Wednesday's matchup will mark Siena's first meeting against a nationally-ranked foe since a 2-1 home win over #22 Rider on October 18, 2017. The Saints are 4-0-1 in their last five meetings with Top-25 programs, having also dealt a 1-0 decision to #23 Boston University at home on September 3, 2014, lost in a penalty shootout after playing #24 Iona to a tie in the MAAC Tournament in 2011, defeated the then-#16 Gaels at home on October 16 of that year, and taken down their highest-ranked opponent to-date with a neutral site 1-0 win over #15 Ohio State on August 29, 2011.
After tying ACC foe Boston College on the road and blowing out Hartford at home, the Saints used this past weekend to record a victory over Merrimack for the second straight year. A pair of second half scores gave Siena a 2-0 victory over the warriors, with defending defending MAAC Rookie of the Year Jacob Sandun Arachchige-Jensen finding junior Junior Kone in the 57th minute, and sophomore Erik Reis hooking up with junior Bilal Hersi in the 82nd minute. Graduate student goalkeeper Greg Monroe tied a career high with 11 saves in-goal to help Siena record its third total and second consecutive shutout this year, paving the way for him to be named the MAAC Defensive Player of the Week and make the College Soccer News National Team of the Week.
Having secured a MAAC weekly award for the second time this year, Monroe used Saturday's performance to tie program great Patrick Henry (2003-06) for the most shutouts in program history with his 12th. Already the program leader in goalkeeper wins, Monroe is second all-time in goalkeeper minutes played (6,223) and matches played (68), as well as fourth in saves (314). The Clifton Park, New York native is also second among active players in NCAA Division I in saves, 22nd nationally in saves per-game (4.67), 23rd in the total saves this season (28), and 39th in save percentage (.824).
As a team, Siena currently leads the conference in assists per-game (3.00, ninth nationally), points per-game (17th nationally), shutout percentage (.500, 21st nationally), goal differential (+8, 27th nationally), shots per-game (15.00), and shots on-goal per-game (6.67, 34th nationally). The squad's associative approach has led to an astounding 15 different players recording either a goal or an assist on the year through six matches, and comes on the heels of 17 different players doing so last season for the most in a single season since 2002.
With a stellar 7-2-2 mark at home since the beginning of last year, the Saints are 2-0 at Hickey Field in 2022 after taking a come-from-behind 2-1 win over UMass Lowell on August 29 and routing Hartford in an 8-0 win on September 11. The team's eight goals matched its highest scoring output in a match since 1995 and tied for the third-most goals scored in a single match since achieving varsity status in 1974. Overall, the Saints have outscored their opponents, 11-1, over the last three matches, and 9-1 at home this season.
Picked to finish fifth in the 2022 MAAC Preseason Coaches Poll, the Green and Gold played to a 9-7-3 overall mark and a 5-3-2 conference record in 2021, securing the number four seed in the MAAC and ultimately falling to number five Rider at home in the MAAC quarterfinals. Under the direction of third year head coach Graciano Brito, Siena returns 24 letterwinners from last season while adding seven newcomers
Arachchige-Jensen highlighted the roster by becoming the fourth player in program history to earn MAAC Rookie of the Year honors, while becoming the first Siena freshman to take a home First Team All-MAAC nod and the only rookie in the league to do so last year. Classmate Henrik Winkelmann earned Second Team All-MAAC honors, while the pair joined defender Reis, Zach Gardner, Thomas Storodegard, and defender Jesper Schone Vogtengen in making the MAAC All-Rookie Team. Arachchige-Jensen, Reis, and Winkelmann all started the year by being selected to the 2022 Preseason All-MAAC Team.
Meeting for the 14th time since 1987, Vermont holds a 10-2-1 advantage in the all-time series between the pair, with the Saints holding the upper hand in recent memory. Siena came out on top in a back-and-forth 3-2 home victory on Sept. 16, 2019, before playing the Catamounts to a 2-2 draw in Burlington last season, with Gardner and Arachchige-Jensen each finding the back of the net for the Saints. The latter scored his first collegiate goal in the final seconds of regulation to secure the tie, while Monroe recorded 11 saves for the first time in his career. Last year's result marked the first time in the series that Siena came away with non-losing results in back-to-back meetings with Vermont.
Currently on a four-match win and five-match unbeaten streak, Vermont entered the national Top-25 this week after being ranked #1 in the USC Northeast Region Poll in each of the last two weeks. Picked to finish second in the 2022 America East Preseason coaches' Poll, the Catamounts won the league and advanced to the NCAA Tournament last season following an upset of Regular Season Champion New Hampshire in the AEC Finals, with their season ultimately ending at the hands of Villanova. Midfielder Alex Nagy, defender Noah Egan, and goalkeeper Nate Silviera were all placed on the NCAA Division I Players to Watch List released by USC prior to the start of the season, while Nagy and Eagan were named to the Hermann Trophy Watch List for the second straight year. The Catamounts claimed four straight wins over Princeton, Harvard, Cornell, and UC Irvine, respectively, while playing then-ranked #15 (now #3) Syracuse to a 1-1 draw at home back on September 2.
