EDISON, NJ, (Nov. 13, 2025) – The 2025 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Men’s Soccer Championship final is set following Thursday’s semifinal round action with No. 1 Sacred Heart University and No. 2 Siena University both clinching berths in title game via overtime wins. This was the first time since 2013 that both semifinal round games of the MAAC Championship went into overtime.
No. 2 Siena – 2 | No. 3 Iona – 1 OT
Hickey Field | LOUDONVILLE, NY
Box Score
No. 2 Siena (8-5-4) defeated defending MAAC Champion, No. 3 Iona (9-3-5), 2-1 in overtime of the semifinal round on Thursday afternoon at Hickey Field in Loudonville, NY.
The Gaels were the aggressor in the first half, keeping possession the majority of the first 45 minutes. Iona was able to strike first, doing so in the 21
st minute, when a cross from the right side found Andrey Mora Bravo in the box, who headed in the game’s first goal. With less than 10 minutes to play in the half, Siena would score the equalizer. The Saints tally came in the 37
th minute of play and was scored by Lucas Almeida who received a long service from the right and finished to the low center part of the net. The game remained deadlocked into halftime. Iona outshot Siena 6-2 in the first half and both teams converted on its lone shots on goal. In the second half, neither team would score, going the full 45 minutes without anyone taking the lead, sending the teams to overtime.
In the first overtime period, Siena had its first opportunity early on when Almeida got past the Iona’s back line and sent a shot that just missed right (93’). With just over a minute remaining before a second overtime period, a Siena breakaway led by a touch pass from Martin Piedeleu to Benjamin Fogarty who sent a cross perfectly to the boot of Campbell Stalker who tapped in the golden goal to seal the win for the Saints.
Siena Notes and Notables
- Siena finished with 10 shots and held the slight edge in shots on goal (5-3).
- The Saints also had a 4-2 corner kick advantage.
- Almeida and Stalker were the two goal scorers for Siena, while Almeida led the team with three shots.
- A trio of Saints logged an assist in the win (Piedeleu, Thomas Sams and Benjamin Fogarty).
- Piedeleu and Sams each took two shots as well.
- Starting goalkeeper Bennet Glinder, made two saves in the winning effort.
- Siena has now won three straight games and has only lost one match since late September, posting a 7-1-4 record during that stretch.
- Sunday’s championship game will be the first appearance in program history by Siena, having previously never made a championship final.
Iona Notes and Notables
- Iona held the shot advantage (13-10) and finished with three shots on goal.
- Alvaro Maneiro took a team-high four shots.
- Calle Sjoberg was just behind Maneiro with three shots, with one being on goal.
- The Gaels lone goal scorer, Mora Bravo, finished with a pair of shots.
- Yannik Vogel and Matias Mancheno each assisted on the team’s goal.
- In net, sophomore Fernando Alves Schmelz made three saves in the setback.
- 2025 will mark the first time since 2021 that Iona will not be making an appearance in the championship final, after previously making three straight championship matches in a row, which included a championship title in 2024.
No. 1 Sacred Heart – 4 | No. 4 Fairfield – 3 OT
Park Ave Field | FAIRFIELD, CT
Box Score
In the nightcap, No. 1 Sacred Heart (9-3-5) defeated crosstown rival No. 4 Fairfield (8-5-5) 4-3 in overtime at Park Ave Field in Fairfield, CT in the semifinal round.
Sacred Heart never trailed Fairfield in the win, but also never held a lead larger than one goal in the back and forth affair. The Pioneers came away with the only first half goal when Ivan Morcillo sent a blast past the goalkeeper to the bottom left corner to put the Pioneers up 1-0. In the second half, both teams combined to score five goals. Fairfield scored the equalizer in minute 47, with an unassisted tally coming from Sean Albritton. Nine minutes later (55’) Danny Istambouli connected on a deadeye goal from the top of the box that hit the crossbar and dropped in and put Sacred Heart back in the lead, 2-1. For the second time in the game, Fairfield knotted the contest, this time it was Cameron Gerber’s free kick that found the mark in the 69
th minute to tie the game at 2-2. Morcillo picked up a brace in the 77
th minute and put Sacred Heart back in the lead 3-2 after scoring a penalty kick. With just 10 minutes to play in the second half, the Stags tied up the match yet again, with Cole Dougherty scoring in minute 80. Over the remaining 10 minutes of regulation, neither side would score again, sending the semifinal matchup to a 10 minute overtime.
In the extra period, Sacred Heart had two opportunities to score but Fairfield’s keeper, Evan Chomow made a pair of impressive saves to keep the score intact. Despite the defensive efforts, in the 96 minute, Sacred Heart’s David Garcia Gallego headed in a perfectly places cross over Chomow to score the golden goal and send the Pioneers into the championship game.
Sacred Heart Notes and Notables
- Sacred Heart had a slim edge in shots (13-12) and an advantage in shots on goal (10-7).
- Sacred Heart also slightly took more corner kicks (6-4).
- Leading the Pios in scoring were Morcillo and Garcia Gallego, scoring four points each.
- Morcillo’s four points came off the two goals he scored, while he also led the team with three shots and three shots on goal.
- Garcia Gallego’s four points were by way of one goal and a team-leading two assists.
- Istambouli put up three points behind one goal and one assist.
- Eli Stein was second on the lineup in shots, finishing his night with two.
- Goalie Luca Marinelli made four saves for the Pioneers in the win.
- The Pioneers are 8-0-3 since September 14 and they remain unbeaten against MAAC opponents this season.
- Sacred Heart will be playing in its first ever MAAC Championship title game on Sunday.
Fairfield Notes and Notables
- Fairfield finished the night with 12 shots, 10 of which occurred in the second half.
- Pipeloreoluwa Olanrewaju led the Stags in shots (3) and shots on goal (3).
- Gerber and Illia Tyrkus were next with two shots each.
- Gerber was the team leader in points, logging three on one goal and one assist.
- Albritton and Dougherty recorded one goal each in game.
- Goalkeeper Chomow finished with six saves for the second straight postseason match.
- Fairfield’s postseason run comes to an end after the Stags won their first tournament game since 2021 following the first round.
Sacred Heart and Siena will meet in the 2025 MAAC Men's Soccer Championship title match on Sunday, November 16. The Pioneers will host the Saints at Park Ave Field in Fairfield, CT at 12:00 p.m. for the league trophy and the right to earn the MAAC’s automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.
For all information regarding the 2025 MAAC Men’s Soccer Championship, please visit
maacsports.com/msoc.
Tickets for all rounds of the championship can be purchased by visiting
maacsports.com/tickets.
About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:
With 13 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 45th year of competition during the 2025-26 academic year. Current conference members include: Canisius University, Fairfield University, Iona University, Manhattan University, Marist University, Merrimack College, Mount St. Mary’s University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Sacred Heart University, Saint Peter’s University, and Siena University.
Stay up to date with the MAAC on social media by following @MAACSports on
X,
Facebook,
Instagram and
Threads or visit
MAACSports.com for all the latest MAAC news.