EDISON, NJ (Aug. 23, 2022) – The 2022 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) men’s soccer campaign gets underway this week with all 11 squads taking the pitch. 10 teams begin their season on opening day (Thursday, August 25), followed by one game on both Friday and Saturday, and a trio of matches on Sunday to conclude the weekend.
 
Only two MAAC teams will open their respective slates at home on Thursday, with Manhattan kicking off its season at 1:00 p.m. against Holy Cross and Saint Peter’s welcoming VMI to Jersey City at 2:00 p.m.
 
The four o’clock window features three matches, highlighted by MAAC preseason favorite and defending champion Marist visiting Howard. The Red Foxes are coming off of a historic 2021 in which the team posted a league-best 7-2-1 (22 points) MAAC record, while claiming their program’s first MAAC regular season crown and fourth overall MAAC tournament championship. Marist will be led by two-time MAAC Goalkeeper of the Year, Samuel Ilin and Preseason All-MAAC Team selection Henrique Cruz.
 
Picked second in the preseason poll and 2021 runner up, Rider will kick off its season at 6:56 p.m., traveling to in-state foe Seton Hall. The Broncs are led by Zaki Alibou, the returning MAAC Offensive Player of the Year and Preseason Player of the Year. Rider went 5-4-1 in the MAAC last year, clinching the no. 5 seed, but secured wins over Siena and Fairfield to earn a spot in the championship final. The Broncs are tied for the most MAAC championships among active members, with five heading into this season.
 
Three teams close out opening day with 7:00 p.m. primetime starts. Headlining the three teams is Siena, who ventures to Connecticut for a game at Sacred Heart. The Saints, who were selected fifth in the preseason poll, finished last season at 5-3-2 in the MAAC. Siena boasted a league-leading three All-MAAC Preseason Team members, with a trio of underclassmen being voted to the team. Leading the group was 2021 MAAC Rookie of the Year Jacob Sandun Arachchige-Jensen, and he was joined by his sophomore classmates in Erik Reis and Henrik Winkelmann.
 
Fairfield is the lone team to play on Friday, embarking on its season at 7:00 p.m. at UMBC. Picked third in the preseason poll, the Stags had two Preseason All-MAAC honorees in Thomas Drillien and Cormac Pike. After closing out 2021 as the sixth seed, Fairfield earned an upset win over Niagara in the quarterfinals, before falling to Rider in overtime in the semifinals. The Stags are tied with Rider for the most MAAC titles (5) and leads all current MAAC schools with 13 championship match appearances.
 
2022 MAAC Men’s Soccer Opening Week Schedule

Date	Matchup	Time
Thursday, Aug. 25	Manhattan vs. Holy Cross	1:00 P.M.
Thursday, Aug. 25	Saint Peter’s vs. VMI	2:00 P.M.
Thursday, Aug. 25	Marist at Howard	4:00 P.M.
Thursday, Aug. 25	Niagara at Saint Mary’s	4:00 P.M.
Thursday, Aug. 25	Quinnipiac at Boston College	4:00 P.M.
Thursday, Aug. 25	Iona at Syracuse	5:00 P.M.
Thursday, Aug. 25	Rider at Seton Hall	6:56 P.M.
Thursday, Aug. 25	Canisius at Cleveland St.	7:00 P.M.
Thursday, Aug. 25	Mount St. Mary’s at Delaware	7:00 P.M.
Thursday, Aug. 25	Siena at Sacred Heart	7:00 P.M.
Friday, Aug. 26	Fairfield at UMBC	7:00 P.M.
Saturday, Aug. 27	Niagara at San Francisco	7:00 P.M.
Sunday, Aug. 28	Canisius vs. Duquesne	1:00 P.M.
Sunday, Aug. 28	Manhattan at George Washington	1:00 P.M.
Sunday, Aug. 28	Fairfield at Navy	5:00 P.M.

 
The full 2022 men’s soccer schedule can be found on maacsports.com.
 
The 2022 MAAC Men's Soccer Championship will take place from November 6 through 13. The six-team, single-elimination championship will be hosted by the higher seed of each match. The opening round will take place on Sunday, November 6, followed by the semifinals on Thursday, November 10, and concluding with the championship match on Sunday, November 13. For all information regarding the 2022 MAAC Women’s Soccer Championship, please visit maacsports.com/msoc.
 
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) is in its 42nd year of competition during the 2022-23 academic year. Current conference members include: Canisius College, Fairfield University, Iona University, Manhattan College, Marist College, Mount St. Mary’s University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Saint Peter’s University, and Siena College.
 
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