LOUDONVILLE, NY – They say there's no place like home, and for Siena Men's Soccer, there has never been a better time to be playing some of the best ball of the season than heading into the postseason. Currently enjoying a four-match win streak at Hickey Field, the Saints (7-8, 7-2) will wrap up regular season play by hosting I-87 rival Marist (6-6-3, 4-3-2) on Wednesday, November 1 at 3 PM.
Wednesday's match will be aired live on ESPN+, with the "Voice of the Saints" Emmanuel Berbari and Patrick Meany on the call. Live up-to-the-minute updates will be available by following @SienaSoccer on Twitter.
Now winners of six of their last seven and seven of their last nine matches since beginning the season 0-6 and with a tough non-league schedule, the Green and Gold have already locked up a postseason berth for the fourth straight season under fourth-year head coach
Graciano Brito, and have secured their second home playoff match in the last three seasons. Siena will match its highest postseason positioning ever and will set a program record with its eighth conference win of the season with a victory by clinching the No. 2 seed in the upcoming MAAC Men's Soccer Championship. A tie or a Manhattan loss or tie will also ensure Siena the No. 2 seed, while a Siena win paired with an Iona loss to the Japers would allow the Saints to lay claim to what would be the program's first ever share of the MAAC Regular Season Title. Siena would clinch the No. 3 seed and host a MAAC Quarterfinal match in the event of a loss and a Manhattan victory.
Now boasting four different players with a conference weekly honor this season, the Saints are outscoring opponents, 13-6, over the last eight matches, and are coming off a swift 3-2 comeback victory at Manhattan on Saturday. After falling into a 2-0 hole in the span of 16 minutes, Siena collected a quick score from senior
Junior Kone just a minute and a half later and ended the first half with a game-tying header from senior
Jack Mendrysa. Junior
Zach Gardner decided the match in the 56
th minute with a set piece goal that gave him five straight games with either a goal or an assist.
Freshman goalkeeper
Bennet Glinder leads the team with three MAAC weekly awards, including a pair of MAAC Rookie of the Week honors and one MAAC Defensive Player of the Week nod. Freshman midfielder
Ben Biton has also earned a MAAC Rookie of the Week accolade, while senior
Bilal Hersi was named MAAC Offensive Player of the Week two weeks ago. Gardner leads the team with four goals and five assists for 13 total points, while Kone also has four goals on the year and sophomore
Magnus Saaby owns three assists.
Siena carries in a two-match unbeaten streak in the all-time series, which Marist leads, 28-17-4 since 1984. The Saints collected a 2-1 road victory on Oct. 8, 2022, with current Siena sophomore
Miguel Plaza turning in two assists. The Saints will now aim for the program's first home victory over the Red Foxes since 2014.
Two years removed from a MAAC title and led by 17
th year head coach Matt Viggiano, Marist is coming off A 2-1 home loss to Rider but has a four-match unbeaten streak on the road (3-0-1). Senior Jared Jaleau leads the team with four goals and three assists, while goalkeeper Luca Bulfon owns a 1.27 goals-against-average and has once been named MAAC Rookie of the Week once this season.
