Siena Men’s Soccer (2-4-1) will take the field for postseason action for the first time since 2016 and the first time ever under first year head coach Graciano Brito Sunday afternoon, taking part in the 2021 MAAC Championship Quarterfinals as the number 8 seed. The Saints will head to Hamden, Connecticut for the second time this season to battle Brito’s former school and 2021 MAAC Regular Season Champion #1 Quinnipiac (5-1) at the Quinnipiac Soccer & Lacrosse Stadium, with kickoff set for 3:00 PM on ESPN+.

Tomorrow’s match will be streamed live on ESPN+. The ESPN streams are available by clicking the corresponding links, on smartphones and tablets via the ESPN app, and on televisions through Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Xbox 360, and Xbox One. Live updates will also be available by following @SienaSoccer on Twitter.

The Green and Gold enter the 2021 MAAC Championship after having wrapped up their regular season with three matches in five days, with the final two coming on the road. After completing a 2-0-1 mark at Hickey Field on Thursday, April 1 with a 3-1 win over 2021 Preseason Favorite Saint Peter’s, the Saints fell at Iona in a 2-1 decision last Saturday, and fell in the final minute, 2-0, at Niagara on Monday. Siena completed the regular season as the only team in the conference to play all seven regularly scheduled matches, as well as completing its first come campaign without a loss since 2014 and the first time they posted a winning mark at home since 2015.

Picked to finish 11^th in the 2021 MAAC Preseason Coaches Poll, Brito guided the Saints to wins over the Peacocks and Canisius, as well as a scoreless tie at home with Monmouth. The team’s associative scoring has come from nine different players, with sophomore midfielder Antonio La Gamba (3 assists), redshirt-sophomore defender Antonio Linge (one goal, one assist), freshman forward Jack Mendrysa (one goal, one assist) and classmate Cam Shaw (one goal, one assist) each recording three points to lead the team offensively. La Gamba tied for the second-most assists in the league as the team’s primary corner kick taker.

Defensively, Siena ranked second in the MAAC with 4.29 saves per-game as a team, with junior goalkeeper Greg Monroe playing every minute of action in-between-the-pipes. The Clifton Park, New York native also ranked sixth in the league in total saves (30) seventh on goals-against-average (1.66), recorded one shutout, and finished the regular season with a campaign-best eight saves at Niagara.

Making its 18^th appearance in the MAAC Tournament, Siena will battle the Bobcats, who joined the MAAC in 2013, for the first time ever in postseason play, and will play a MAAC Tournament match in Hamden for the second time (2016 Semifinals). The Saints hold a 7-14-4 overall record in the MAAC Tournament, and have advanced to the Semifinal round twice – falling to Rider in both 2015 & 2016. Siena is the number 8 seed in the event for the second time, having also done so in 2007 to the tune of a 1-1 record.

Quinnipiac enters the postseason as the MAAC Regular Season Champion for the fourth time since joining the league seven-and-a-half years ago. Led by 16^th year head coach Eric Da Costa, the Bobcats won their final two matches of the regular season to finish at 5-1, with the only loss coming at Saint Peter’s on March 29 in overtime. QU recorded three shutouts in six games and collected three of five victories by multi-goal margins. Picked to finish second in the 2021 MAAC Preseason Coaches Poll, the Bobcats’ 15 goals were scored by nine different players, including Brage Aasen, whose four scores are tied for the second most in the league. Quinnipiac is in search of its first MAAC title, having advanced to the championship match in 2013, 2016 & 2018.

The Bobcats hold an 8-1-2 advantage in the all-time series between the two programs, which dates back to 2001. QU has taken the last five matches, including a 4-1 decision at home against the Saints on March 25, which saw Linge net the single score for Siena on a penalty shot in the 88^th minute. Siena’s lone win over its MAAC rivals came on October 28, 2015 in Loudonville, with the teams also playing to ties in 2008 & 2007.

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