After a tough start to the season for the Men’s Soccer team, Siena was able to get a much-needed win at home against non-conference opponent, University of Vermont Catamounts. Siena went into this game with a 1-4 record and no wins at home. There were clear signs of struggle after their first loss at home against Bryant University. There was no chance of a comeback when the Bulldogs were able to sneak three goals past goalkeeper, Greg Monroe before Saints could even score one. Even after a hopeful comeback late into the second half, the Saints fell short. The game ended in a 3-2 loss in which their chemistry and communication looked weak. Fans were shocked to see the first home game of the year go down as a loss. The boys knew something needed to change.
On Monday, September 16th, Siena played their second home game of the year against Vermont. Hickey Field needed its first victory of the 2019 season and the Saints took no time to score against their opponent. In the 10th minute of the game, Alejandro Riquelme was able to put one past Vermont, assisted by Connor McGlynn. Vermont was able to equalize in the 23rd minute, but that didn’t stop the Saints from obtaining victory. Before the end of the half, Samuel Schwarz was able to strike one to the back of the net, giving the Saints a 2-1 advantage going into the second half. Unfortunately, Vermont was able to equalize once again in the 62nd minute and it was back to a 2-2 game. Siena didn’t take much time to respond. Only six minutes later, Jesse Rodriques was able to score the game-winning goal off an assist from Aaron Martin. It was an unbelievable game, full of excitement and many back and forth fights. Although out shot and beaten offensively, Greg Monroe was able to save several shots at critical moments throughout the game. Monroe had one huge save at the end of the game that prevented a tie.. It was a much-needed team win for the Saints, improving their record to 2-4 on the season. The Saints are now fifth in the MAAC standings out of eleven with a .333 percent victory rate. There is plenty of time for the team to place higher as long as they keep building on this momentum.Even with the victory, the Saints know there is much more improvement to be made. Vermont doubled Siena’s shots on target and showed much more offensive skill than the Saints. Nonetheless, Siena shows great potential following their victory and students and fans should expect many more wins in the future. The Saints are now on a three road game journey and won’t be back home until October 5th to face off against Iona. We wish the Saints all the best on their upcoming away games. If you can, come out to the games and cheer on your Men’s Soccer team as they take on many more challenges in the next several weeks! Go Saints!