LOUDONVILLE, NY - Thursday marks a historic day for the Siena Men's Soccer program. The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Champion Saints will play in their first-ever NCAA Tournament game with a first-round match against the BIG EAST's Seton Hall Pirates. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m. from Owen T. Carroll Field in South Orange, NJ. 
 
The winner will go on to play No. 11 national seed Bryant at 6 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 23, at Beirne Stadium in Smithfield, RI. 
 
Tickets to the NCAA First Round match between Siena (9-5-4) and Seton Hall (7-3-7) can be purchased ahead of time through Ticketmaster. Cost of admission is $10, and all seats are general admission. Christopher "CJ" Weipz and Niamh Campbell will have the call for the first-round matchup on ESPN+. Live stats and pressbox X updates can also be found by clicking on the corresponding links. 
 
Scouting Siena (9-5-4, 6-1-3) - First NCAA Tournament Appearance
Champions of the MAAC for the first time ever, the Saints enter their first NCAA Tournament match having won four straight matches and having gone unbeaten in 12 of their last 13 (8-1-4) under sixth-year head coach Graciano Brito. With that, Siena set a program record with an eight-match unbeaten streak this season and is one win away from tying for the second most in a single season in program history. 
 
Headlined by MAAC Rookie of the Year and Third Team All-MAAC selection Martin Piedeleu, Siena boasts five All-MAAC selections, including a pair of first team honorees—Lucas Almeida and Ismail Dia—second team selection Eric Svensson, and third team member Thomas Sams. Almeida and Piedeleu have been instrumental in aiding the highest-scoring team of Brito's tenure, combining for 14 of the team's 30 goals this season. 
 
In just one season with the Saints, junior Almeida has already etched his name into the program record book. The West Hartford, CT, native's 25 points are tied for the fifth most in a single season while also becoming the first Saint to reach 20 since 2019. Moreover, Almeida's 10 goals are tied for the sixth most in a single season in program history, and he became the first Saint to reach double-digit tallies since 2012, and just the seventh to ever do so. Not to be forgotten, he tied a single-match program record with four assists at Canisius on Oct. 1, a mark that also served as a single-match MAAC high for the year. 
 
While Almeida finished with five assists, Piedeleu's six lead the Green & Gold in his rookie campaign. Out of Brussels, Belgium, Piedeleu tallied four points over two MAAC Championship matches to lead to MAAC All-Championship honors. His four goals this season are third on the team, trailing Almeida and Campbell Stalker (5), with two of his four tallies coming as match-winners. 
 
Two-time All-MAAC selection and reigning MAAC All-Championship MVP Bennet Glinder also shined when it mattered most. A mainstay in goal since arriving in Loudonville in 2023, Glinder set a new career high with 68 saves this season, a mark that ranks 27th nationally. The junior climbed the program record books in his own right this season, reaching 24 career victories and 15 shutouts—both second all-time. 
 
Saints and Major Matchups
While taking on a high major opponent in its first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance, Siena has played its fair share against such teams and has found success in the past. The Saints notably defeated Boston College of the Atlantic Coast Conference this season in what was the program's first win over a Power Conference team in 14 years. Before its win at Boston College on Aug. 25, Siena's last win over a Power Conference team came on Sept. 4, 2011, in a 2-1 overtime victory over Syracuse in Loudonville, one year after also defeating its in-state rival. 
 
Additionally, the Saints also topped #15 Ohio State 1-0 on Aug. 29, 2011, in the Penn State Classic in what was also the program's first nationally ranked win. The Green & Gold recently picked up a point with a scoreless draw against another BIG EAST foe in Xavier, who had just won the conference title the year before. 
 
Scouting Seton Hall (7-3-7, 3-1-4) - 14th NCAA Tournament Appearance
An at-large selection out of the BIG EAST, Seton Hall has qualified for the 14th NCAA Tournament appearance in program history, its first since 2022, and will host an NCAA match for the first time since 2005. They missed out on the conference tournament after posting a 3-1-4 record in conference matches but went through the season with the toughest strength of schedule in the country and the 17th-ranked RPI. Seton Hall competed against five eventual conference champions in Georgetown, Princeton, FDU, Saint Louis, and Lafayette, as well as four other teams that played in their conference championship match. 
 
The Saints and Pirates played two common opponents this season, with Seton Hall playing to a 2-2 draw with Sacred Heart on Sept. 11 and a 3-0 win over FDU on Sept. 14. 
 
BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year and All-BIG EAST First Team selection Agustin Resch anchored a Seton Hall defense that ranked third in the conference and 31st nationally with a 0.824 goals against average. He also reached new career highs in goals (2), assists (3), and points (7). 
 
Fellow All-BIG EAST selections Til Kauschke (Second Team Midfielder) and Mikkel Lejbowicz (Second Team Forward) helped lead to Seton Hall's finest offensive season under 10th-year head coach Andreas Lindberg with 29 total goals scored as a team. Lejbowicz led the team in shots (33), goals (7), and points (15) on the season and ranked eighth in shots per game (2.36), fifth in points per game (1.07), and fourth in goals per game (0.50) in the BIG EAST. Kauschke finished second to Lejbowicz with four goals but led the Pirates with four assists.  
 
In goal, Matias Molina has appeared and started in all 17 matches for the Pirates this season. The senior posted a career-best 0.77 goals against average thanks to a career-high 0.783 save percentage—both of which are top-30 marks nationally. Additionally, Molina tied for 18th in the country with eight clean sheets. 
 
Series History (Seton Hall Leads, 3-0)
The Saints and Pirates have never met as Division I opponents. The sides played three times from 1948 to 1950 before Siena was an NCAA Division I varsity program. The Pirates won each of the three matches, with Siena's lone trip to South Orange in 1949 resulting in a 2-0 Seton Hall win. 
 
Siena Athletics in the NCAA Tournament
Siena Men's Soccer looks to secure the first NCAA Tournament win for Siena Athletics in any sport since Siena Baseball defeated Dallas Baptist in the Fort Worth Regional of the 2014 NCAA Baseball Championship. Siena Men's Basketball has secured four NCAA Tournament victories, which came in 1989, 2002, 2008, and 2009, while Siena Volleyball earned an NCAA Tournament Play-In victory (1995). The Saints can also become the first team out of the MAAC to win an NCAA Men's Soccer Tournament match since former member Monmouth defeated Bowling Green in the first round in the 2020-21 season.