LOUDONVILLE, NY – Siena Women's Soccer Head Coach Steve Karbowski has released his team's 2023 schedule. The Saints 17-match regular season slate is highlighted by a home matchup vs. a Power Five opponent, and a southern swing to Kentucky and Tennessee.
 
"We're looking forward to getting the 2023 season underway, and have put together a very competitive non-conference schedule to prepare us for MAAC play," said Karbowski, who enters his milestone 25^th season at the helm of the Saints.
 
Siena's 17-match regular season schedule features eight home contests, and the diverse seven-match non-conference slate is constituted of teams from six different conferences with all four road tilts being contested in four different states.
 
Siena kicks off the program's 44^th varsity season with a pair of home matches against formidable foes.
 
For the second straight season, the Saints will open against Central Connecticut when they host the five-time defending Northeast Conference Regular Season Champions on Thursday, Aug. 17 at 5 p.m. at Hickey Field, matching the earliest regular season opener in program history (2018).
 
Siena wraps up the opening weekend with a premiere matchup, when they welcome a Power Five foe to Loudonville for just the second time ever. The Saints host Atlantic Coast Conference opponent Syracuse on Sunday, Aug. 20 at 1 p.m., who's returning starting goalkeeper Shea Vanderbosch is the twin sister of rising Siena sophomore starting center back Kam Vanderbosch. The Saints only previous Power Five home match was against the Big Ten's Penn State in 1996, and Siena last welcomed a high-major to Loudonville when they defeated Big East foe Seton Hall to kick off the 2018 season.
 
For the third time since 2017, the Saints will embark upon a non-conference trip out of the region. After playing a pair of matches in Georgia in 2017 and two more in Colorado in 2019, Siena will make the program's first ever appearances in the states of Kentucky and Tennessee. The Saints are set to face first time foes Western Kentucky on Thursday, Aug. 24 in Bowling Green, Kentucky, and Lipscomb on Sunday, Aug. 27 in Nashville, Tennessee. These matchups will also constitute Siena's first-ever tilts against current members of Conference USA and the ASUN, respectively.
 
Siena wraps up the abbreviated first month of the season with yet another stiff test, when they host reigning America East Tournament Champion New Hampshire on Thursday, Aug. 31 at Hickey Field. The Saints conclude non-conference action with a pair of road matchups at Holy Cross (Sept. 3) and Vermont (Sept. 20).
 
Siena commences the program's 32^nd MAAC season with back-to-back home matches vs. Manhattan (Sept. 9) and Rider (Sept. 16). The Saints are also scheduled to host Niagara (Oct. 7), defending MAAC Tournament Champion Quinnipiac (Oct. 14 – Senior Day), and Iona (Oct. 25) in home conference action this fall.
 
Siena faces a season-long three-match road trip bridging September and October. Following the non-conference matchup at Vermont, the Saints open their MAAC road slate with trips to Saint Peter's (Sept. 23) and I-87 rival Marist (Oct. 4). Siena will also travel to Canisius (Oct. 11), Fairfield (Oct. 18), and Mount St. Mary's (Oct. 21) this season in conference play.
 
The top-six teams in the 11-team conference will once again qualify for the MAAC Championships. The No. 3 and No. 4 seeds will host the fifth and sixth seeds in quarterfinal round matches on Sunday, Oct. 29, with the top-two seeds receiving byes to the semifinals on Thursday, Nov. 2. The 2023 MAAC Women's Soccer Championship Match is set for Sunday, Nov. 5. All MAAC Tournament matches will be hosted by the higher seeded team.
 
Siena returns nine starters and eight seniors as they look to chase the program's fourth MAAC Championship this fall.