Siena, Rider Advance; Quarterfinals Set for ESPN3
MAAC Sports
Lake Buena Vista, Fla. - Siena defeated Saint Peter's, 5-1, in the day's opening game, while Rider got a dramatic late goal to oust Canisius, 2-1, to secure places in the quarterfinals of the 2011 MAAC Men's Soccer Championship at ESPN Wide World of Sports. #10 Siena will face #2 Iona at 11:15 a.m. followed by #1 Fairfield versus #8 Rider at 1:45 p.m. Both games will be live on ESPN3.
Friday's first quarterfinal pits #3 Loyola against #6 Manhattan at 11
a.m. The Greyhounds ran out 3-0 winners after putting in a complete
performance against the Jaspers in Riverdale. Manhattan is this season's
surprise team. After beginning the league campaign with three losses,
Manhattan snapped its 43-game winless streak and proceeded to take 10
points from its next four games en route to the #6 seed. Loyola has won 12 MAAC Championships, nine more than the next closest school.
Iona, currently ranked 24th in the nation, will be looking to avenge its 1-0 double overtime loss to Siena back on Oct. 16. The Saints are one of just three teams to beat the Gaels this season, the
others being top-seeded Fairfield and then-No. 14 St. John's.
At 1:30 p.m., #4 Niagara will face #5 Marist. The Purple Eagles defeated
Marist, 1-0, in the first game of the league season. The Red Foxes
enter the tournament having won three of their last four games.
The final game of the day showcases the tournament's top seed and MAAC regular season champions Fairfield. The Stags beat Rider, 3-2, in overtime back on Oct. 2 in Lawrenceville. Rider's win today was its first MAAC Championship victory since 2004.
ESPN3 is ESPN's live multi-screen sports network, a
24/7 destination that delivers thousands of global sports events annually and
accessible online via WatchESPN.com. It is currently available to approximately
70 million homes at no additional cost to fans who receive their high-speed
Internet connection or video subscription from an affiliated service provider.
The network is also available at no cost to approximately 21 million U.S.
college students and U.S.-based military personnel via computers connected to
on-campus educational networks and on-base military networks. It is also
accessible through ESPN on Xbox LIVE to Gold level members and on smartphones
and tablets via the WatchESPN app through an affiliated provider.
International fans may be able to access the broadcasts through www.espnplayer.com, a subscription-based platform. Fans are encouraged to check the listed upcoming schedule and country restrictions before registering.