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Crucial Win At Home!

After three painful losses in a row, Siena Men’s soccer was able to get a solid win over Niagara at home. The Saints got cold in the last few weeks as they took tough losses to Iona, Monmouth, and Marist. All three teams are in conference rivals which hurt Siena’s record in the MAAC. The Siena Saints were in dire need of a turnaround.

On Wednesday, October 16, the Saints went home to Hickey Field to face rival Niagara Purple Eagles.  In the 41st minute of the game, Niagara was able to grab a goal and go up 1-0 on Siena. Only four minutes later, Siena was given a penalty kick and Samuel Schwarz showed no hesitation when sliding the ball past Niagara’s goalie. This was Schwarz’s fourth goal of the season, and it was surely an important one. The second half began and both teams were looking for that goal advantage. It was not until the 70th minute when fans saw the game-winning goal made by Alejandro Riquelme, assisted by Connor McGlynn. This was Riquelme’s sixth goal of the season and no one expects any less from this amazing scorer. Siena’s offense almost doubled the number of shots to Niagara. The Saints proved that their work should not go unnoticed.  As per usual, all the credit cannot go to the offense. Siena’s defense had an excellent game while only allowing Niagara to have three shots on target. Overall, Siena just played better, and they deserved the final outcome. It was a much-needed win after a three-game losing streak.

Siena’s 2-1 win over Niagara places them at a 5-8 record on the season. The Saints now have a 2-3 in conference record with wins over Niagara and Canisius. A few tough defeats bring them down to 7th in the MAAC rankings and there are only a few games left in the regular season. Although losses, the games were close, and the Saints showed that they can hang with any team. There is still plenty of time to bump up their record and attempt to get to a .500 record on the season. There are five games left and Siena needs to show no mercy in their next game against Rider. Rider is a solid team and is placed just above Siena in the MAAC. It would be a great win for the Saints at home and a huge momentum booster for upcoming games.  This will be one of the final three home games left for the 2019 season, so make sure to come out and show your spirit! Go Saints!