LOUDONVILLE, NY - Possession was the name of the game for Siena Men's Soccer in its league-opening match against the Saint Peter's Peacocks on Saturday evening. The Saints controlled the ball 74 percent of the match and out-shot the visiting Peacocks by 21 in its 2-0 win from Hickey Field.
Siena (3-3-3, 1-0 MAAC) made good use of its ball control, firing off 28 shots (12 on target) while limiting Saint Peter's (0-7-2, 0-1 MAAC) to seven - three of which on-goal. 13 different Saints had a shot in the game, none other than
Zach Gardner's six with five coming on target.
The team's 28 shots were the most in a single-game since the program record of 39 set in 2022, and the second-most on record since the 2018 season.
With his match-winning tally, Gardner climbed into a tie for fifth all-time in program history with what was the fifth of his career. His six shots were also a new single-game career high, breaking his previous mark of five set in 2022.
Lee Mara delivered the team's other goal on one of his three shots of the evening, while
Ryan Lim and
Olafur Freysson had four and three each, respectively.
Bennet Glinder made three saves in goal for the Saints to post his fifth overall shutout of the season.
Harry Davison and Conlan Paventi had two shots each for the Peacocks, while goalie Pedro Alves made nine saves in the losing effort.
In a first half that saw Siena control possession for over 70 percent of the time, the team broke loose in the 34th minute. Off a
Dren Dobruna corner,
Eric Svensson got up for a clean header that was saved by a Peacock defenseman. However, Gardner, positioned well in front of the box, collected the rebound and fired the ball through for a 1-0 advantage.
It wasn't long before the Saints struck again in the second half. Right as the clock hit the 48th minute, Mara shook a defender and fired off a shot from beyond the 18, burying it in the top-right corner to extend the team's lead.
Following Mara's tally, the Saints got off 15 more shots while Saint Peter's had five attempts - just one of which needing to be corralled by Glinder.
Siena will return to action next Saturday, Oct. 5 for a 2 p.m. road match at Niagara.
