LOUDONVILLE, NY - It's playoff time in Loudonville. For the third consecutive season, Siena Men's Soccer will host a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Tournament match on Hickey Field when the second-seeded Saints welcome in the defending MAAC champion and third-seeded Iona Gaels for the semifinals at 1 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 13. 
 
MAAC Semifinal tickets can be purchased ahead of time through HomeTown Ticketing or at the entrance to Hickey Field. Prices are $11 for adults and $6 for all others. Admission is free for the first 100 Siena University students in attendance. 
 
SIENA IN THE MAAC CHAMPIONSHIPS (23RD APPEARANCE)  
Siena will make its 23rd MAAC Tournament appearance, and in doing so this season, extends a current program record to six consecutive appearances, all of which are under head coach Graciano Brito. The Saints enter the field as the #2 seed for the sixth time ever (1993-94, 2008, 2010, 2012) and have gone 1-4-1 with one shootout loss seeded as such. Additionally, Thursday's semifinal marks the fifth home playoff match in program history, as well as the fourth in the past five seasons. 
 
SCOUTING SIENA (7-5-4)
The Green & Gold enter postseason play boasting five All-MAAC honorees, headlined by MAAC Rookie of the Year and Third Team All-MAAC selection Martin Piedeleu. Additionally, Lucas Almeida (forward) and Ismail Dia (defender) were named to the first team, Eric Svensson (defender) to the second team, and Thomas Sams (defender) to the third team after leading the Saints to their third six-win conference season since 2016. 
 
Siena notably had a program-record eight-match unbeaten streak from Sept. 20 to Oct. 18 in which the team went 4-0-4, including 4-0-3 in MAAC play. The Saints turned a corner in league action, becoming the second-highest scoring team in the conference in their 10 MAAC matches (2.00 goals per match), while the defense ranked third in the league, allowing 0.90 goals per outing to conference foes. Almeida was a catalyst to the team's success in conference matches, leading the league in assists (5), goals (8), and points (21) in such outings, becoming the first Saint to eclipse 20 points since the 2019 season.
 
Like his teammate Almeida, Bennet Glinder impressed over the course of the league schedule. In posting a 6-1-3 record, the junior allowed less than one goal per match on a .775 save percentage, while recording a clean sheet in nearly half (four) of his conference starts. 
 
SCOUTING IONA (9-3-5)
Fresh off the second league championship in program history, the favorites in the MAAC Preseason Coaches' Poll secured the #3 seed in the MAAC Tournament following a 6-1-3 mark in league play. Behind seven All-MAAC selections, the Gaels defeated sixth-seeded Quinnipiac 5-0 in the MAAC Quarterfinals to set up a date with the Saints in the semifinals. Led by Alvaro Maneiro's seven goals, Iona is the league's highest-scoring offense, averaging 2.0 goals per match, and is also tied with Sacred Heart and Fairfield as the top-scoring defense, allowing just one goal per match. Goalkeeper Fernando Alves Schmelz is 6-2-5 this season, posting a 0.92 goals-against average and a .782 save percentage. Head coach James Hamilton has led Iona to each of the last three MAAC Championship Finals, as well as the 2019 league championship. 
 
THE SERIES WITH IONA (48TH MEETING: IONA LEADS, 24-19-4)
Siena and Iona will clash for the 48th time ever, with the Gaels holding a slight 24-19-4 edge in the series. The teams are 1-1-1 over the last three meetings, with Siena's win coming at home last season. The sides played to a scoreless draw earlier this season on Oct. 15 in New Rochelle, NY, in which Siena secured a point for a seventh consecutive match. Glinder recorded a shutout with four saves, facing 13 shots throughout the match. Piedeleu was active offensively, taking two shots, both of which were on target. Almeida and Mario Navarro Perez each contributed with a shot on goal.
 
Thursday marks the sixth postseason meeting between Siena and Iona and the first since 2011. The Saints are 2-2-1 against the Gaels in MAAC Tournament matches, with the lone draw coming in the most recent postseason meeting in 2011, in which Iona won in penalty kicks, 4-3. 
 
WHAT'S AT STAKE
With a win, the Saints would advance to the program's first-ever MAAC Championship match on Sunday, Nov. 16. Siena would host the match with a loss by top-seeded Sacred Heart (SHU) to fourth-seeded Fairfield in the other semifinal matchup. If Sacred Heart defeats Fairfield, the Saints would travel to SHU for the championship. 
 
FOLLOW ALONG 
Ryan Zimmerman and Joe Lemery will have the call on ESPN+. An international stream, as well as pressbox X updates, can also be found by clicking on the corresponding links.