LOUDONVILLE, NY – For just the second time in program history – and first time in 27 years – Siena Women's Soccer is set to host a Power Five foe. The Saints welcome Atlantic Coast Conference opponent and Empire State squad Syracuse to Loudonville for a 1 p.m. tilt Sunday.
Siena (0-1) welcomes a Power Five opponent to Loudonville for only the second time, after previously dropping a 2-0 decision to Big Ten squad Penn State on Oct. 2, 1996 on Siena Field. Overall, the Saints are in search of their first-ever win over a Power Five team (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, SEC), having gone 0-6-0 all-time while being outscored by a combined 17-0 margin.
Siena is looking to bounce back to close out the opening weekend following a 3-0 setback at the hands of five-time defending Northeast Conference Regular Season Champion Central Connecticut Thursday at Hickey Field. The Saints out-shot the Blue Devils 14-13, but CCSU held an 8-2 advantage in shots on target. Returning leading scorer
Annie Bagnall and freshman
Julia Dening paced Siena with four shots apiece, while
Brooke Boermeester made five saves.
Syracuse (0-1) is also looking to rebound after suffering a season-opening 1-0 defeat at Delaware Thursday. The Orange, which posted a winning overall record last season of 8-7-3 despite a 1-5-3 conference mark, were predicted to finish 12
th (14 teams) according to the ACC Preseason Coaches' Poll.
Sunday's matchup marks a pair of reunions for the programs. Sophomore twin sisters Kam (Siena) and Shea (Syracuse) Vanderbosch are set to go head-to-head for the second straight year. Kam appeared in all 18 games (16 starts) at center back during her freshman season for the Saints, while Shea was named an ACC All-Freshman Team selection after posting a 7-6-2 record with a 1.02 goals against average and an .815 save percentage in goal last fall for the Orange. Syracuse assistant coach/goalkeeper coach Brandon DeNoyer spent six seasons (2011-16) as an assistant on
Steve Karbowski's staff, helping guide the Saints to the program's second MAAC Championship in 2015.
Siena and Syracuse meet for just the third time, with all three matchups between the Empire State foes occurring since 2019. The Orange have captured the first two meetings by a composite 5-0 score, while out-shooting the Saints by a 50-18 margin. Syracuse won last year's tilt 2-0 on Aug. 28 in Central New York behind goals from Anna Rupert (9') and Paola Ellis (63').
Angela Fini was fantastic in goal in a losing effort for Siena, posting a career-high 11 saves.
Joe Mixie and former Saint Jayanna Monds '20 have the call of the action on ESPN+, which can be viewed by clicking the corresponding link. Fans can also follow along via the live stats and on-site social media updates through the Siena Women's Soccer twitter account @SienaWSoccer.
