Men's Soccer 8/30/2019 12:49:00 PM David Halstead

Men's soccer opens season with home match against Siena

Loretto, Pa. – Saint Francis men's soccer opens the season with a home match against Siena on Sunday, Sept. 1. Kickoff at the Stokes Soccerplex is set for 2 p.m.

Scouting Siena
The Saints are coming off a season in 2018 in which they went 5-10-3, 4-6-0 MAAC. Siena struggled when playing on the road, going 1-5-2 on opponent's pitches. The Saints were picked 10th in the 2019 MAAC preseason poll. They have a senior heavy roster as Siena returns nine seniors after only losing two to graduation last year. Senior midfielder Matt Crisafulli returns after leading the team in points with nine and tied for the team lead in goals with four.

Series History
This is the first all-time meeting between Saint Francis and Siena.

SFU in Season Openers
Saint Francis has won two straight season openers after taking down Houston Baptist 1-0 in the 2018 lid lifter. SFU knocked off Duquesne 4-2 to kick off its 2017 campaign. The Red Flash are 3-1-1 over the past five season openers.

High Expectations
Saint Francis was selected first in the Northeast Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll for the first time in school history. The Red Flash led the NEC in goals per game for the second straight season in 2018 at 1.71. Saint Francis returns seven starters and is poised for another strong season.

Return of Rosa
SFU is eagerly anticipating the return of junior midfielder Lucas Rosa (Atibaia, Brazil/COC Atibaia). Rosa started only three matches in 2018 before his season was cut short due to injury. Rosa was named to the NEC All-Rookie team as a freshman after starting 16 of 17 matches and scoring four goals while adding three assists.

Goalkeeping Duties
Sophomores Alex Morgret (Hummelstown, Pa/Hershey) and Jonas Dieseler (Duesseldorf, Germany/Lessing Berufskolleg) shared goalkeeping duties last season and will be locked in another intense battle this fall. Morgret earned All-Rookie honors, starting 12 matches and posting a 7-3-3 record with four clean sheets and a goals against average of 1.03. Dieseler started five matches, going 2-2 with a 1.63 gaa and one shutout.

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