LOUDONVILLE, NY – Freshman forward Birgir Thorsteinsson netted goals in the 14th and 64th minutes for Siena Men’s Soccer, leading the Saints to a 2-0 shutout victory over Canisius at the Siena Turf Field Wednesday afternoon.

“The guys played a really solid game on both ends today,” Head Coach Cesar Markovic said. “They created attack, pressured well and defended well, and I can’t ask for more. They gave an all-out effort.”

The Hafnarfjordur, Iceland native helped the team end a five-game losing streak, giving Siena its first points in the last six contests. The first goal finished a sequence, which began with senior captain Adel Cekic, whose forward pass to junior Cristobal Toledo allowed the midfielder to cross to Thorsteinsson, who finished just Inside the far right post to give the Saints the lead at the half. The forward completed his first-career multi-score affair early in the second half, capitalizing on a breakaway opportunity, which left canisius goalkeeper Bryce Tramuta outside of the goalie box, allowing Thorsteinsson to walk in a goal from the right side.

“It felt great to score and get the energy level back up,” Thorsteinsson said. “It had been hard with us losing, but we all have heart and a great spirit, and showed that we could win together.”

Siena (4-9-3, 3-5) kept themselves in the conversation for a bid to the 2018 MAAC Postseason Tournament with the win, improving to 3-0-2 over the Golden Griffins in their last five head-to-head meetings. The squad saw eight different players fire a shot in the match, with sophomore Alejandro Riquelme attempting a season-high six to lead the team, including five on-goal.

Canisus (2-8-2, 2-5-1) suffered its second-straight shutout loss, moving to ninth in the MAAC standings with two games to play. 11 different Griffins tallied attempts in the contest, with freshman Alessio Atzori leading the way with three shots.

Siena goalkeeper Greg Monroe earned his second-career shutout in-net for the Green and Gold, collecting six saves in the process. Tramuta also stayed on the field for the entirety of the match, saving seven shots for the Griffins.

Overall, the teams finished even in shots with 18 apiece, while Canisus held a 5-3 advantage in corner kicks and an 8-6 tally in saves.

With just two games remaining in its’ 2018 regular season slate, Siena looks to clinch a spot in the postseason for the fifth time in the past six seasons. The Saints will conclude their road slate on Saturday, Oct. 27 at 2:00 p.m. against Rider before wrapping the regular season campaign at home the following Wednesday against Saint Peter’s.

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