EDISON, NJ (Nov. 14, 2024) – The 2024 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Men’s Soccer Championship final is set following Thursday’s semifinal round action with No. 1 Iona University and No. 2 Rider University clinching berths in title match for the second straight season. This marks the first time in over 30 years that the MAAC Championship will feature the same two squads in back-to-back years, last happening from 1991 through 1993 when Fairfield and Loyola met in three consecutive title contests.
 
No. 1 Iona – 3 | No. 5 Marist – 1
Mazzella Field | NEW ROCHELLE, NY
Box Score

Top-seeded Iona (10-4-3) cruised to a 3-1 semifinals victory over No. 5 Marist (7-9-2) on Thursday afternoon in New Rochelle, NY.
 
The Gaels jumped out to an early 1-0 lead just nine minutes into action, when Thiago Cagna sent a ball into the box directly to Francesco Borla who put the ball into the bottom right side of the goal. During the latter part of the first half, Iona would go ahead 2-0. In the 37^th minute, MAAC Defensive Player of the Year, Tim Timchenko had his free kick from just outside the box blocked by a Marist defender, but Bautista Rossi recovered the deflection in the box and scored on the easy tap in. In the second half, Jose Silva received a pass in the box from Alvaro Maneiro, and Silva sent a blast into the back of the net, extending the Gaels lead to a dominating 3-0 lead in the 65^th minute of play. Despite trailing by three goals, Marist would erase the shutout three minutes later, by way of a putback goal from Richard Morel following a corner kick and several attempts in the box by Marist players.
 
Iona Notes and Notables

• Iona has scored three or more goals for the third straight game.
• The Gaels had the advantage in shots (20-16) and shots on goal (9-4).
• Rossi, Borla, and Silva were the team leaders in points scoring a goal each.
• Rossi led the team with six shots, while Maneiro had four shots, and the duo of Borla and Cagna took three shots apiece.
• Additionally, Rossi, Borla, and Maneiro all had two shots on target.
• The quartet of Cagna, Maneiro, Timchenko, and Jad Benjelloun all recorded an assist in the win.
• Loukas Georgiou made three saves for the second straight postseason contest, winning his fourth consecutive win in goal.
• Iona has now won six straight meetings against Marist dating back to 2019.
• The Gaels will compete for the MAAC Championship for the third year in a row, sixth time overall.
• Iona also becomes the first program since Rider (2015-2018) to compete in at least three straight MAAC Championship finals.

 
Marist Notes and Notables

• Morel scored for the second time in the playoffs, leading to his team-high eighth goal on the season.
• Arion Ulaj and Caio Cavaletti earned an assist on the Red Foxes lone tally.
• Cavaletti led the team with six shots (two on goal), while Chris Verheul and Kyle Evans each took three shots.
• Marist recorded more corners compared to Iona, with a 5-4 edge.
• Dreni Idrizi made five saves in the net, while Marist also picked up a team save in the first half of the game.
• The semifinal round appearance for Marist was the first for the program since 2021.

 
No. 2 Rider – 1 | No. 3 Siena – 0
Ben Cohen Field | LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ
Box Score
 
Defending MAAC Champion, No. 2 Rider (14-4-1), edged No. 3 Siena (7-5-6), 1-0 in Lawrenceville, NJ on Thursday night in the second semifinals matchup.
 
Neither side found the back of the net in the first 45 minutes, but there was no lack of effort, as Rider attempted five shots and Siena took three shots in the first half. The game-winning goal would come in the second half of the match, when Rider was awarded a free kick just outside the box following a yellow card. MAAC Golden Boot recipient, Momo Diop curved the ball around the Siena wall into the lower right side of the net, giving the Broncs the 1-0 lead in the 55^th minute. That goal would prove to be enough to send the Broncs back into the championship match to defend their title.
 
Rider Notes and Notables

• Rider had the advantage in shots, 9-6 and had a 3-2 shots on goal edge.
• Diop’s goal was his MAAC-leading 10^th of this season.
• Diop’s point total increased to 24, which also is the most among league players this season.
• Leading the Broncs in shots was also Diop, who finished with a team-high five shots, two on goal.
• Adel Al Masude followed with two shots, one on goal.
• MAAC Golden Glove winner, Adam Salama, made two saves in net.
• Salama earned his conference-leading 14^th overall win and ninth shutout on the season – third straight clean sheet.
• Rider is unbeaten over its last nine games, posting an 8-0-1 record going back to October 5.
• The Broncs eliminate the Saints in the semifinals for the second year in a row and have now won five straight postseason meetings against Siena over the past decade.
• Rider is playing in the MAAC Championship for the second consecutive year, and for the 10^th time in program history.

 
Siena Notes and Notables

• Navarro Perez led the Saints with two shots.
• Logging one shot each for Siena was Dren Dobruna, Zach Gardner, Tomislav Vrdoljak, and Cole Hellert.
• Perez and Hellert both had one shot on goal.
• Goalkeeper, Bennet Glinder made two save in the contest.
• The Saints were playing in their second straight semifinal game and the team won their first postseason contest in eight years with their quarterfinals victory last Sunday.

 
Iona and Rider will meet in the 2024 MAAC Men's Soccer Championship title match on Sunday, November 17. The Gaels will host the Broncs at Mazzella Field in New Rochelle, NY at 1:00 p.m. for the league trophy and the right to earn the MAAC’s automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.
 
For all information regarding the 2024 MAAC Men’s Soccer Championship, please visit maacsports.com/msoc.
 
About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:
With 13 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 44th year of competition during the 2024-25 academic year. Current conference members include: Canisius University, Fairfield University, Iona University, Manhattan University, Marist College, Merrimack College, Mount St. Mary’s University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Sacred Heart University, Saint Peter’s University, and Siena College.
 
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