In soccer, as in any sport, a team’s home stadium is meant to be a place of comfort and confidence. But for Marist men’s soccer this season, Tenney Stadium has been anything but that.
After entering Wednesday’s matchup against Saint Peter’s winless in seven home matches, the Red Foxes finally broke through with a 2-1 comeback victory over the Peacocks (4-5-5, 2-3-3 Metro) on Kids’ Day.
Marist (6-3-5, 4-2-2, Metro) improved its home record to 1-2-5, a sharp contrast to its 5-1 record on the road. All season, the team has struggled to find results in Poughkeepsie.
The victory did not come easily; Saint Peter’s struck first in the fifth minute when junior forward Connall McCerlain found the back of the net off an assist from sophomore midfielder Leo Caval. The Red Foxes responded; second-half goals from graduate student forward Mani Diop and junior forward Chris Verheul earned the comeback victory.
For Marist head coach Matt Viggiano, the victory was sweet.
“Relief. I told you before, statistically, I can’t believe we haven’t won a game at home,” Viggiano said.
The head coach also credited the Kids’ Day atmosphere for helping the Red Foxes finally break through.
“I guess we needed 700 screaming kids to make it happen,” Viggiano said.
Despite picking up road victories over Saint Mary’s, San Francisco, Sacred Heart, Canisius and Rider, Marist had struggled to replicate that success in front of its own faithful.
The frustration had not gone unnoticed by Viggiano, who addressed the team’s home struggles following its 1-1 draw against Merrimack on Oct. 17.
“It’s kind of a joke at this point,” he said at the time.
The Red Foxes began the season with three consecutive home matches, drawing against Stony Brook and Air Force before suffering a 3-0 defeat to Cornell. Their final home non-conference match ended in another draw, 2-2 against UAlbany.
Those struggles carried over into Metro Conference play. Marist suffered a 4-3 loss to Mount St. Mary’s in its conference opener before recording consecutive home draws against Iona and Merrimack.
One recurring issue had been Marist’s inability to protect leads at Tenney Stadium.
Against Mount St. Mary’s, the Red Foxes held a 3-2 second-half advantage before conceding twice en route to the loss. The pattern continued against Merrimack, when graduate student forward Mani Diop put Marist ahead before a second-half own goal allowed the Warriors to escape with a point.
While Marist had shown the ability to compete in these matches, turning those performances into victories remained a challenge.
Viggiano previously questioned how much value the team could take from its growing number of draws, particularly with the postseason approaching.
“Draws are a false sense of security,” Viggiano said following the Merrimack match.
Wednesday’s result offered a different ending. Rather than surrendering a lead or settling for another draw, Marist erased a one-goal deficit and found the winner.
With only six teams qualifying for the Metro Conference tournament, the victory also provided three important points as the Red Foxes continued their push toward the postseason.
After seven unsuccessful attempts, Marist finally gave its home crowd something it had waited all season to see: a victory at Tenney Stadium.
The Red Foxes will have one final regular-season home match when they host Siena at 6 p.m. on Nov. 4.
Edited by Ryan Eichem
Photo Michael O’Neil
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