LOUDONVILLE, NY - Down a player for much of the second half to the preseason MAAC favorite Iona Gaels,
Lee Mara's 72nd minute tally broke a 1-1 tie to help the Saints top their MAAC foes 2-1 from Hickey Field on Saturday afternoon.
The victory keeps the Saints in a tie for first place in the MAAC standings with Mount St. Mary's at 10 points.
Zach Gardner provided the game-tying goal in the 62nd minute before Mara came through with the winning score 10 minutes later.
Dren Dobruna improved his assist streak to three-stight games and five of his last six after contributing the Gardner's goal. It marked the eighth of the season for the freshman, putting him within one of tying the single-season program record.
Tomislav Vrdoljak had the secondary assist on Garnder's goal, while
Henrik Winkelmann and goalie
Bennet Glinder assisted on Mara's.
Aside from notching his first career point, Glinder made two saves en route to his fifth win of the season.
Neither side registered a shot on target in the first half. However, the Saints out-shot the Gaels 4-2 overall over the course of the first 45 minutes of play.
Sparks went off for both attacks in the second. Following a second yellow card issued to
Jesper Schone Vogtengen in the 57th, the leading goal scorer in the MAAC, Sergio Gonzalez Fernandes, lined up for a set piece and broke the scoreless draw with his sixth tally of the season.
Less than five minutes later with Siena on the attack, Vrdoljak led Dobruna to the left corner of the field - allowing Dobruna to deliever a lofting pass to the center of the box to Gardner, who headed the ball just past Iona goalie Fernando Schmelz for the equalizer. It was Gardner's fourth goal of the season.
Despite being out-shot 13-2 in the half and a man down, the Saints continued to show grit on the pitch. Glinder's work between the pipes led to a quick pass to Winkelmann midway through the 72nd minute, who went on to deliver a lofting pass to a streaking Mara.
Mara, with Schmelz closing in, got ahold of the ball just enough to chip it and watch it bounce to the back of the net for the lead.
The Gaels didn't go quietly, controlling the attack for the majority of the final 11 minutes of play. As it has all season, the Siena backline was stout through each of their nine shot attempts in that span, and Glinder stopped the lone shot on goal to preserve a crucial league win.
Siena returns to the pitch at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 23 when the team welcomes Canisius to Hickey Field.
