Marist clinched the No. 2 seed in the Metro Men’s Soccer Championship Wednesday night with a 2-1 win over Siena. The Red Foxes (8-3-5, 6-2-2 ) have now won four straight and head into the playoffs with a week off.
A Quinnipiac loss to Merrimack earlier in the day gave Marist the chance to clinch the No. 2 seed, which they did.
“We were watching as a team; it was very exciting,” said redshirt freshman winger Dylan Gugin.
The Saints (4-6-7, 2-2-6 Metro) are eliminated with this result, as they entered the match needing a win to have a shot at the playoffs. Siena trailed 2-0 late but got a goal back in the 85th minute with from sophomore midfielder Jacob Humienny. The Saints thought they had an equalizer 101 seconds later, but the goal was ruled out after a video review.
Junior forward Chris Verheul came up clutch yet again for Marist, scoring in the 13th-minute for his ninth goal of the year and his third in the last three games. He finished into an open net after graduate student Mani Diop had his shot saved.
Siena squandered a golden chance to equalize halfway through the half when junior defender Gijs Verheul gave away a penalty. Freshman midfielder Ivan Struk’s spot kick met junior goalkeeper Alex Murania’s outstretched hand, and Marist cleared the ball out to secure the lead.
“He’s put on a couple of unbelievable performances. Tonight, he was phenomenal,” Viggiano said of Murania.
Murania delivered another huge save just moments later, pushing a shot from senior midfielder Lee Mara onto the post.
Sophomore midfielder Adriano Iannello had a good look to double Marist’s lead in the 43rd minute, but his shot went wide. The Red Foxes weathered the storm well in the first half, handling Siena’s 12 shots and three corners confidently.
Senior forward Lucas Almeida got in behind early in the second half, but was hawked down by Gijs Verheul. Almeida, the Metro’s Preseason Player of the Year, hit the football goalpost, giving Marist a goal kick.
Gugin’s first collegiate goal gave Marist a huge cushion in the 60th minute with a pulchritudinous half-volley. Iannello played him in the box, and Gugin teed up a shot that flew right past senior keeper Bennet Glinder.
“It feels surreal. I just wanna keep moving forward and keep helping the team,” said Gugin. “It’s not been an easy season, but you got to make it count when you get in.”
Marist now has 12 different goalscorers this year.
“That says more about our group than anything,” said Viggiano about his squad’s depth. “We talked about giving an honest effort. We’ve been talking about that all year.”
Murania had a major night in net, tying his career high of 10 saves, including the penalty. He faced a whopping 27 Siena shots, 11 of which were on target.
“Earlier in the year I was struggling to find these performances,” said Murania. “It feels great to carry this momentum into the playoffs.”
Marist was without senior defender Ethan Ortiz in this one, who was benched as he is one yellow card away from a suspension. Ortiz missed the previous game, a win at Manhattan, with an injury.
Marist now gets a week off as the first round of the Metro Championship kicks off on Saturday and, as the No. 2 seed, will not have to travel this postseason.
“It’s everything we worked for,” said Murania about having that home field advantage. “Now we have to go and bring it home.”
Marist’s opponent is yet to be determined. Kickoff for next Wednesday is set for 7 p.m.
Edited by Max Rosen
Graphic by Isabel Cortese
Photo by Michael O’Neil
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