LOUDONVILLE, NY – Siena Women’s Soccer Head Coach Steve Karbowski has released his team’s 2019 schedule. The Saints are slated for 19 regular season contests this fall including eight matches at Siena Field to highlight the program’s milestone 40^th varsity season.

 

“Our 2019 schedule is shaping up to be the most challenging one we’ve put together in some time,” said Karbowski, who is set to begin his 21^st season at the helm. “Our non-conference schedule will provide great competition and test the team to raise their level of play as the season progresses, and will greatly help us prepare for MAAC play.”

 

Siena will embark upon its 2019 season with four consecutive road contests to match the program’s longest road trip ever to open a season (1995), and lengthiest road trip overall since playing five straight away from home in 2000.

 

The season commences with just the program’s second-ever trip west of the Mississippi, featuring a pair of matches against Mountain West Conference foes in Colorado. The Saints kick off their 2019 campaign on Friday, Aug. 23 with a 9 p.m. ET (7 p.m. MT) matchup at Air Force, before concluding their swing through the Centennial State at Colorado College on Aug. 25. The only previous time Siena played out west was as part of Idaho State’s Bengal Classic in 2002.

 

“We are looking forward to a great trip to Colorado to open the season,” noted Karbowski. “This will be a great opportunity for the team to get off campus before classes begin, play two challenging matches, and continue to develop our team chemistry.”

 

Siena returns to the Northeast for a pair of matchups against fellow Empire State foes to conclude the road trip. The Saints will face their first-ever ACC opponent when they battle Syracuse for the first time on Aug. 29, before traveling to Cornell on Sept. 2.

 

Siena opens its home slate with a pair of challenging contests against programs which combined to win 27 matches last fall. The home opener is set for Thursday, Sept. 5 at 4 p.m. at Siena Field vs. A10 foe UMass, followed by a Sunday tilt on Sept. 8 against reigning Northeast Conference Champion Central Connecticut. Over the past 12 seasons, the Saints boast an impressive 70-22-12 (.731) record within the friendly confines of Siena Field, which includes a stellar 36-8-2 (.804) mark in non-conference action.

 

The remainder of Siena’s nine-match non-conference schedule includes a home contest vs. Maine (Sept. 15), and road tilts at Big East foe Seton Hall (Sept. 12) and defending America East Conference Champion UAlbany (Sept. 25).

Siena kicks off its 28^th season of Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference competition on Sept. 21 at Rider. The Saints will also travel to Iona (Oct. 5), Manhattan (Oct. 19), Niagara (Oct. 23), and Quinnipiac (Oct. 30) in conference road action.

 

Siena’s home league slate begins vs. Saint Peter’s on Saturday, Sept. 28 at 1 p.m. in Loudonville, and the Saints will also battle defending MAAC Champion Monmouth (Oct. 9) in a rematch of last year’s conference title match as part of the home schedule. Additional MAAC home contests feature Canisius (Oct. 2), Marist (Oct. 12), and Fairfield (Oct. 26).

 

The 2019 MAAC Championships will once again feature a six-team format this fall. The top-two seeds will earn byes to the semifinal round, with the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds hosting quarterfinal contests vs. the sixth and fifth-seeded teams, respectively, on Nov. 3. The No. 1 and No. 2 seeds will then host semifinal matches on Nov. 7, with the highest remaining seed playing host to the 2019 MAAC Women's Soccer Championship Match on Sunday, Nov. 10.

 

Expectations are high for the Saints entering the 2019 season following consecutive 11-win campaigns highlighted by the program’s fifth MAAC Championship Match appearance last fall. Siena is set to return eight of 11 starters and more than 80% of its goal scoring from last year’s squad which achieved an 11-8-3 overall record including a 6-2-2 ledger in the MAAC.