EDISON, NJ (Nov. 2, 2023) – The 2023 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Men’s Soccer Championship kicks off this Sunday, November 5 with opening round action. The field of six includes top-seeded Iona University, No. 2 Siena College, No. 3 Rider University, No. 4 Manhattan College, No. 5 Niagara University, and No. 6 Marist College. All contests during the championship will be hosted by the higher seed in each matchup and all games will be airing live on ESPN+.
The Iona Gaels clinched the MAAC Regular Season championship after finishing the season with a league-best 27 points, recording a 9-1 MAAC mark and 11-3 overall record, securing just the second the regular season trophy in program history; the other coming back in 2009. The nine conference victories are the most ever in a season for Iona and they became the first MAAC team with nine league wins and 27 points in a season since Saint Peter’s in 2019. The Gaels are back in the postseason for the sixth time over the past seven seasons and they will be the No. 1 overall seed in the championship, garnering homefield advantage at Mazzella Field in New Rochelle, New York, where the team is a perfect 5-0 in 2023. Iona has won three straight and 10 out of its last 11 matches heading into the championship. Additionally, the Gaels beat all five other playoff teams during the season, outscoring the field 11-4 with three shutouts. With its lone MAAC Championship coming in 2019, Iona will be seeking their second straight trip into the finals this year after a runner-up finish in 2022.
The Siena Saints snagged the No. 2 seed in the championship field, the highest regular season finish for the school since 2012, after an 8-2 MAAC regular season (24 points), which was the most league wins in program history. The Saints capped off the regular season slate as winners of two straight and seven out of the final eight contests. Siena is making its fourth straight MAAC postseason appearance and in pursuit of its first MAAC title, having never won the league crown or ever qualifying for a championship final, to date.
Both Iona and Siena earn opening round byes to the MAAC semifinal round. The Gaels will face the lowest advancing seed from the opening round on Thursday, November 9, while the Saints will welcome the highest advancing seed from the opening round to Loudonville, NY on Thursday. Both semifinal matches will have a 1:00 p.m. start time.
No. 3 Rider (9-3-4, 6-2-2 MAAC) vs. No. 6 Marist (6-7-3, 4-4-2 MAAC)
Ben Cohen Field | LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ | 1:00 PM | ESPN+ | Live Stats
A rematch of the 2021 MAAC Championship final and a matchup between two of the top-three most successful programs in league history, No. 3 Rider will welcome No. 6 Marist to Lawrenceville, NJ, for the MAAC opening round on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. Both the Broncs and Red Foxes make their postseason return after a one-year hiatus, following the aforementioned title match in 2021. The two institutions are also the last two programs in MAAC men’s soccer to claim consecutive conference championships, with Rider going back-to-back in 2015 and 2016, and Marist winning two straight in 2004 and 2005. Rider concluded the regular season at 6-2-2 (20 points) in the conference and 9-3-4 overall, posting the second-highest overall winning percentage in 2023 behind Iona. The Broncs are riding the current longest winning streak in the MAAC heading into the postseason tournament at four games and the squad is unbeaten over its final five regular season games. Rider holds five MAAC Championship titles --- tied for the league-lead amongst current members along with Fairfield --- and have made the second-most final appearances among current member with seven. The Broncs last won the MAAC in 2018. Marist closed out the regular season with 14 points, going 4-4-2 for a fifth-place tie, but lost the tiebreaker battle to Niagara, dropping the team to the sixth seed. The Red Foxes start their playoff push on a two-game skid, with defeats in three out of their last four matches. Marist sits one title behind Rider, owning four total league crowns, with the most-recent coming in 2021, and have made the championship finale five times. Less than a week ago on Oct. 28, Rider edged Marist, 2-1 on the road in Poughkeepsie, NY. The last postseason meeting between the two was the 2021 Championship title match, in which No. 1 Marist and No. 5 Rider played to a dramatic 2-2 draw. The Red Foxes would prevail in a penalty shootout, 5-3.
No. 4 Manhattan (6-7-3, 6-3-1 MAAC) vs. No. 5 Niagara (4-9-3, 4-4-2 MAAC)
Gaelic Park | RIVERDALE, NY | 4:00 PM | ESPN+ | Live Stats
No. 4 Manhattan plays host to No. 5 Niagara in the opening round on Sunday in Riverdale, NY, with first kick set for 4:00 p.m., in a battle between two semifinalists from 2022. The Jaspers locked up the fourth seed with 19 points by way of a 6-3-1 MAAC tally. The team has fallen in two straight and ended the regular season 1-3-1 after a perfect 5-0 start. Manhattan qualified for its third straight championship and will be hosting an opening round contest for the second straight year. To date, the Jaspers has never won a MAAC crown, coming close a pair of times in 2011 and 1994, losing in the final both those seasons. The Purple Eagles finished tied for fifth on the MAAC standings, posting a 4-4-2 record (14 points), edging out Marist for the fifth-seed by way of tiebreaker. Niagara needed a regular-season finale victory --- a 3-1 home win over Mount St. Mary’s --- for the second straight year to propel the unit into a playoff berth for the fourth-consecutive season. The Purple Eagles have one MAAC championship under its belt, winning it all in 2012, which was also the last time the team made the championship final. The regular season match between the two teams occurred on Saturday, Oct. 14 at Niagara Falls, NY, with the home team coming away with a narrow 1-0 win. The last meeting between the sides in tournament play came all the way back in 2007, with No. 7 Niagara toppling No. 10 Manhattan, 6-1, in the opening round of that year’s championship at Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex in Lake Buena Vista, FL.
The 2023 MAAC Men's Soccer Championship will take place from November 5-12. The six-team, single-elimination championship will be hosted by the higher seed of each match. The opening round will take place on Sunday, November 5, followed by the semifinals on Thursday, November 9, and concluding with the championship match on Sunday, November 12. For all information regarding the 2023 MAAC Men’s Soccer Championship, please visit
maacsports.com/msoc.
About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:
With 11 institutions strongly bound by the sound principles of quality and integrity in academics and excellence in athletics, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) is in its 43rd year of competition during the 2023-24 academic year. Current conference members include: Canisius University, Fairfield University, Iona University, Manhattan College, Marist College, Mount St. Mary’s University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Saint Peter’s University, and Siena College. Merrimack College and Sacred Heart University will join the MAAC as full members in the 2024-25 academic year, expanding the conference to 13 institutions.
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