2020-21 MAAC Women’s Soccer Championship Preview
EDISON, N.J. (April 9, 2021) – The 2020-21 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Women’s Soccer Championship kicks off this Friday, April 9 with the quarterfinal round.
Leading off quarterfinal action will be top-seeded
Siena College (4-0-1) as they host No. 8
Iona College (1-3-1) in Loudonville, NY for a 3 p.m. kickoff. Also at 3 p.m. will be No. 2
Quinnipiac University (4-1-1) taking on No. 7
Fairfield University (2-2-1) at the Quinnipiac Soccer & Lacrosse Stadium in Hamden, CT. Fourth-seeded
Rider University (3-1-2) welcomes fifth-seeded
Manhattan College (3-2) to Ben Cohen Field in Lawrenceville, NJ for a 4 p.m. kickoff. Wrapping up the quarterfinal round will be No. 3
Monmouth University (3-1-2) taking on No. 6
Niagara University (2-2) at 5 p.m. in West Long Branch, NJ.
Per MAAC policy, host institutions will establish attendance policies based on state, local, and campus regulations, as well as facility guidelines. Please refer to each institution’s website for more details. All matches of the 2020-21 MAAC Women’s Soccer Championship will be broadcasted live on ESPN+.
The top-seeded Siena Saints captured the program’s first-ever MAAC Regular Season title on Wednesday, as they completed their abbreviated season in a 10-day span. For Siena, who were selected to finish eighth in the 2020-21 MAAC Preseason Coaches' Poll, they have been rolling on both offense and defense, outscoring their opponent by a combined score of 13-2. Iona enters the tournament with the momentum of a 3-2 comeback victory at Saint Peter’s back on April 2. Facing a two-goal deficit in the 80th minute, Iona’s Nicole Whitley would find the back of the net twice, including the game-tying goal with just 13 seconds left in regulation, to knot the game at 2-2. Kiera Haggerty would net the golden goal just 4:07 into overtime and give Iona their first win of the season.
For Quinnipiac and Fairfield, this will be their second straight game against one another. Back on April 6, Quinnipiac welcomed the Stags to Hamden, as the Bobcats earned a 1-0 win. The game featured Quinnipiac’s second-straight shutout victory as Selena Salas scored the lone goal for the Bobcats. For both teams, they have been within reach of the MAAC Women’s Soccer Championship in recent years, with Fairfield falling to Monmouth, 6-0, in the 2019 MAAC Championship Game and Quinnipiac facing a 5-2 setback to the Hawks in the 2016 title game. This is also the second straight season that the two teams will meet in the MAAC Championship. They last met in the 2019 Semifinals, with Fairfield advancing to the championship game, 1-0.
This will be the second time this season Rider will play host to the Jaspers, as they played one another back on April 3. The Broncs took the victory, 3-1. For Manhattan, this is their fourth appearance in the MAAC Women’s Soccer Championship since 2009 and their first since 2017. In their last two appearances (2015, 2017), the Jaspers have advanced to the championship game. The last time these two teams met in the postseason was back in 2015, when Manhattan punched their ticket to the championship game with a 3-1 victory over the then-defending MAAC champion Broncs.
Monmouth, the four-time defending MAAC Champions, embark on a journey to become the first team to win five straight titles since Loyola from 2000-2004. The Hawks were named the favorite to win the conference in the 2020-21 MAAC Women’s Soccer Preseason Poll and tied with Fairfield with the most players on the Preseason All-MAAC team. Niagara enters the MAAC Championship with a six-goal performance in their final game of the regular season, the most in a single game for Niagara since 2012, as they topped Canisius College, 6-3. The Purple Eagles will look to upset the defending champions and win their own title for the first time since 2006. This will be the third consecutive year that Monmouth and Niagara will meet in the MAAC Championship, with Monmouth earning all three victories. Their latest postseason battle occurred in the 2019 MAAC Semifinals, with the Hawks earning the victory, 3-0, on their way to a fourth-straight MAAC title.
2020-21 MAAC WOMEN’S SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE
|
| Friday, April 9 |
Match-Up |
Time |
Network |
| Quarterfinal #1* |
No. 2 Quinnipiac vs. No. 7 Fairfield |
3:00 p.m. |
ESPN+ |
| Quarterfinal #2* |
No. 3 Monmouth vs. No. 6 Niagara |
5:00 p.m. |
ESPN+ |
| Quarterfinal #3* |
No. 1 Siena vs. No. 8 Iona |
3:00 p.m. |
ESPN+ |
| Quarterfinal #4* |
No. 4 Rider vs. No. 5 Manhattan |
4:00 p.m. |
ESPN+ |
|
|
|
|
| Monday, April 12 |
|
|
|
| Semifinal #1* |
Quarterfinal #1 Winner vs. Quarterfinal #2 Winner |
TBA |
ESPN+ |
| Semifinal #2* |
Quarterfinal #3 Winner vs. Quarterfinal #4 Winner |
TBA |
ESPN+ |
|
|
|
|
| Friday, April 16 |
|
|
|
| Championship Game* |
Semifinal #1 Winner vs. Semifinal #2 Winner |
TBA |
ESPN+ |
The 2020-21 MAAC Women’s Soccer Championship begins on Friday, April 9, with the quarterfinal round. Semifinal round action will take place on Monday, April 12. The 2020-21 MAAC Women’s Soccer Championship Game is scheduled for Friday, April 16. Keep up with all MAAC soccer action by following @MAACSports on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram and by searching #MAACSoccer.
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) celebrates its 40
th year of competition during the 2020-21 academic year. Current conference members include: Canisius College, Fairfield University, Iona College, Manhattan College, Marist College, Monmouth University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Saint Peter’s University, and Siena College.