Top-seeded Saints set for tourney
Siena coming off of its first MAAC regular-season title
There were no games for months. Then, a flurry of five matches in 10 days.
When the whirlwind subsided, the Siena women’s soccer team was undefeated and Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference regular-season champion for the first time in program history.
The top-seeded Saints (4-0-1) will start their bid for a MAAC Tournament title when they face No. 8 Iona (1-3-1) in a quarterfinal at 3 p.m. on Friday at Hickey Field.
“It’s great,” Siena coach Steve Karbowski said. “Almost more of a challenge, you know, the things we’ve had to go through and different sacrifices the players have had to make, and delays and postponements, and things like that. To come out and be ready to play and perform well and get good results, it means a lot. It means a lot to have the top seed in the MAAC Tournament.”
Siena was chosen eighth out of 11 teams in the MAAC preseason coaches’ poll in February after the fall season was postponed to the spring by the coronavirus pandemic.
The Saints didn’t make their season debut until March 25, 12 days after their original opener was postponed because of multiple positive COVID-19 tests among Siena’s Tier 1 personnel, which includes players, coaches and support staff.
“It definitely felt like the short end of the stick with that,” said junior forward/midfielder Carrie Krohn, a Schoharie native. “It was kind of hard, obviously with the fall being totally canceled. It was a waiting game, but I think it was all worth it at the end.”
They began the year with a 6-0 victory over Iona, Friday’s opponent. The Saints ended the regular season last Saturday with a 1-1 tie with Monmouth, the four-time defending MAAC champion. Monmouth is the No. 3 seed in the tournament.
“I hope we meet them again and we’ll get the win next time,” Siena redshirt junior back Sophia Dimkopoulos said. “The tie was big for us, but we’re going to put the win on it next time, for sure.”
First, the Saints have to take care of business against Iona. Karbowski said he’s urging his team not to underestimate the Gaels just because of the six-goal win in their first meeting.
“I’m going to do as much as I can to guard against that,” Karbowski said. “The team is mature, we’ve got a good group of seniors, experienced players that have been through a lot of good games and a MAAC Tournament final a couple of years ago. I think they’ll be OK and prepared for it.”
Siena is going for its third MAAC Tournament title. The Saints won championships in 2010 and 2015.
As the No. 1 seed, the Saints will have home-field advantage for as far as they advance in the tournament. The semifinals are on Monday and the final is next Friday. Siena will have five days off since the end of a shortbut-packed regular season.
“I felt really good after Monmouth,” Krohn said. “My legs were a little bruised up, but that kind of comes with the territory. I think all of our team is feeling well-rested and rejuvenated and ready to play on Friday.”