LOUDONVILLE, NY - A marquee Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) men's soccer matchup is set to take place when the top two teams in the league meet in Loudonville, NY, on Saturday afternoon. Riding a five-match point streak, Siena Men's Soccer will welcome the first-place Sacred Heart (SHU) Pioneers to Hickey Field at 3 p.m.
Siena and SHU enter Saturday's match as two of the final three remaining unbeaten teams in the MAAC, with the Pioneers' 12 points edging the Saints' 10 for the top of the standings. With six teams qualifying for the 2025 MAAC Soccer Championships, Saturday's match could make for postseason implications for the league's top seed, as well as a potential first-round bye for the league's top two seeds. With both squads having five MAAC matches left following Saturday's action, Iona (seven points), Fairfield (seven points), Marist (six points), and Niagara (six points) loom behind, currently holding postseason spots.
Siena's surge of five consecutive matches earning a point didn't come without dramatics following its comeback to draw 3-3 with Rider on Oct. 4. Trailing 3-0 with just over 21 minutes to play, goals by
Lucas Almeida ('69),
Christian Amaral ('76), and
Miguel Plaza ('78) brought the Saints even with the Broncs to help secure a point and remain unbeaten in league play. It was the first time Siena came back from being down two more goals to win or tie since defeating Manhattan on the road on Oct. 28, 2023.
Almedia's goal marked his second consecutive match with a point, one outing removed from tying a program record with four assists at Canisius on Oct. 1, which helped lead to MAAC Player of the Week accolades. The junior has surged into a tie for the team lead with nine points along with freshman
Martin Piedeleu, while Almedia is tied for sixth in the MAAC, averaging one point per match.
After scoring six goals over their first five matches to start the season, the Saints have netted 11 over their recent five-match point streak, making them the third-ranking scoring unit in the MAAC, averaging 1.70 goals per outing. Additionally, the Green and Gold have produced 11 or more shots in four of their last five outings after hitting double digits just twice over the first five matches.
With a 5-3-2 overall record and 4-0 mark in MAAC play, SHU has won each of its last four matches while outscoring opposition 7-1 over that stretch. The top-ranked defense in the league has allowed just 1.10 goals per contest through 10 matches, while the team's offense has produced the eighth-most goals per match in the conference (1.5). Led by David Garcia Gallego's three tallies, the Pioneers have four others with multiple goals this season - each of whom has two. Luca Marinelli (5-1-1) boasts the league's lowest goals against average (.764), a mark that also ranks 43rd nationally. Through eight starts in goal, the senior is also third in the MAAC, posting a .786 save percentage.
In a series that began during the 2009 season, Siena holds a 7-3-1 edge through 11 all-time meetings between the programs. After dropping the first two matchups in 2009 and 2010, Siena went 7-0-1 against the Pioneers over the ensuing eight matchups between 2013 and 2022. However, SHU walked away with a 1-0 victory in the most recent match, which came as non-conference opponents on Aug. 29, 2023, on Hickey Field. The Saints will look to improve upon their 3-2-1 record against the Pioneers on Hickey Field come Saturday.
Steve Jones and Jayanna Monds will have the call on ESPN+, while an international stream and live pressbox "X" updates can also be accessed by clicking on the corresponding links.
After Sacred Heart, the Saints will hit the road to take on their downstate rival Iona at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 15.
