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 A Season to Remember
June 18, 2009 MAAC Championship Photo Gallery Siena made history this season, winning its first MAAC Championship and earning its first NCAA Tournament bid in program history. The Saints wrapped up their third consecutive 10-win season on Saturday, April 25 with an 8-5 win at Providence. The win marked Siena's 10th of the season as it finished an unblemished 8-0 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. In Siena's previous game, the Saints clinched the MAAC regular season title and the No. 1 seed in the MAAC Tournament with a 13-7 win at Marist. Siena had only made one other trip to the MAAC Tournament since joining the league in 1996. In 2007, the regular season champs and No. 1 seeded Saints were upset by No. 4 Providence in the semifinals. Two years later the Saints reached their goal. They defeated Providence in a convincing 7-1 semifinal win. Junior goalkeeper Brent Herbst showed he belonged in discussion with the top netminders in the nation, making eight saves and holding a shutout through the first 44 minutes of play. The defense forced an uncharacteristic 24 Providence turnovers and killed off all three extra-man situations. With 16 seniors and the deepest the team's ever been, Siena wouldn't let this opportunity slip away. The Saints clashed with Manhattan for the MAAC Championship and an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Siena found a way to win, spurred on by the superlative play of Herbst. He made 14 saves including two stops with starting defensemen Chris Viviano and Anthony Nunziata in the penalty box for 60 seconds. Herbst was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player, allowing a stingy 3.06 GAA and stopping 78.6% of the shots he faced. Senior midfielder Kenny Mazzone kick started the offense with two assists on the game's first four goals. Siena opened up a 5-0 lead before Manhattan broke through 35 seconds before halftime. The Saints won 9-5 and the team's 16 seniors put their stamp on Siena lacrosse forever.
The Saints opened their season at No. 4 ranked Johns Hopkins, a perennial power, in a primetime nationally televised game on ESPNU. Siena shocked the Blue Jays, opening up a 3-2 lead at the end of the first quarter behind two goals from freshman Bryan Neufeld and one from junior transfer Jordan Loftus. Newcomers made an immediate impact for Siena and showed just a snapshot of what they would contribute throughout the season. Hopkins rallied with nine straight goals to defeat the Saints 11-3, but left the field respecting the new kids on the block. Siena followed the Hopkins game with its home opener against cross-town rival UAlbany. The Saints hadn't defeated UAlbany since the Great Danes moved up to Division I in 2000. Siena outplayed UAlbany in the February 25 game and led 7-6 with time winding down. Goalie Brent Herbst made what should have been a game-saving stop with 11 seconds left in regulation, but his defense picked up the ball and heaved it down field to get it out of danger. UAlbany's goalie sprinted to the ball and fired it back down the field where it bounced through the entire defense and into a UAlbany player's stick who shot it past Herbst. UAlbany tied it on that shot with .2 seconds left and went on to win in double-overtime. The Saints earned their first victory of the season in a neutral site game against Presbyterian. Siena steamrolled the Blue Hose 15-2 on Long Island before coming home for a tough homestand against ranked teams Loyola (Md.) and St. John's and familiar foes Stony Brook and Saint Joseph's. Siena went 1-3 in that span, beating Saint Joseph's 13-4 in its MAAC opener. The three losses came by a combined four goals (7-5 Loyola, 8-7 Stony Brook and 8-7 St. John's). But Siena got back on track with its second neutral site win on Long Island, a 10-8 win over Hartford on March 21. That win sparked an 8-game win streak to close out the regular season. They dominated the MAAC, winning all eight league games for the first time since joining 13 years ago. Loftus found his groove as the season went on, scoring a team-high 35 points (21 G, 14 A) in the final 10 games. He tallied at least one point in all 16 games he played. The Saints avenged all four MAAC losses from 2008 that kept them out of the MAAC Tournament, which was played in Loudonville. Siena lost to Providence, Saint Joseph's, Virginia Military Institute and Canisius all by one goal apiece (two of those in overtime) last year. But 2009 was different. Siena beat those four teams in the regular season by a combined score of 45-22. Neufeld (12 G, 3 A) and Loftus (9 G, 6 A) led the offense in those four games, each scoring 15 points. Herbst was equally dominant between the pipes. He allowed just 5.50 goals/game and had a .621 save percentage in those four wins. Herbst was just as strong in his junior campaign as he was as a sophomore when he posted the best GAA in the nation. He finished this season with a 6.34 GAA (2nd NCAA) and a .617 (4th NCAA) save percentage in 17 starts, earning him All-America honorable mention. On the offensive end, Neufeld and Loftus topped the team's scoring list this season with 51 and 43 points respectively. Neufeld won MAAC Rookie of the Year, and led all freshmen in the country with 38 goals. He led the league with four game winning goals and was named MAAC Rookie of the Week five times (2/23, 3/30, 4/6, 4/20, 4/27). Classmates Chris Roth (18) and Chris D'Alberti (12) also pitched in, playing all 18 games and combining for 30 points. Senior captain Kenny Mazzone played in every game since arriving in Loudonville as a freshman (64) and started 49 of the last 50. In his third year as captain, Mazzone showed his leadership down the stretch, scoring five goals and adding 10 assists in the last four games. He had three assists at Marist when Siena clinched the No. 1 seed in the MAAC Tournament, five points against Providence to keep the Saints perfect in the MAAC, three assists in the MAAC Championship game and tallied three points at Syracuse in the NCAA Tournament. Siena's MAAC Championship win was rewarded with a trip to the Carrier Dome to face the defending (and eventual) National Champion Syracuse Orange. Siena stayed right with Syracuse into the fourth quarter, behind stellar play by Herbst. He made five saves in the first quarter and provided highlight reel stops throughout. Syracuse led 6-2 entering the fourth quarter before they showed their championship talent and pulled away for an 11-4 win. It was a historic season for Siena in many ways. They earned the program's third straight 10-win season, first undefeated season in league play, first postseason win, first MAAC Championship, and the first trip to the NCAA Tournament. 2009 Notes...Brent Herbst was named All-America honorable mention by USILA...Brian Brecht won his third MAAC Coach of the Year award...Bryan Neufeld won MAAC Rookie of the Year (Siena's third in four years)...Chris Viviano won MAAC Defensive Player of the Year...Neufeld, Viviano and Chris Zarins were named All-MAAC First Team...Herbst, Kenny Mazzone, Shaun Dunn and Ryan Duggan were All-MAAC Second Team selections...Kevin Reilly (3x), Charly Rogener (3x), Mike Whalen (2x), Tom Morr and John Rogener were MAAC All-Academic Team selections. |
