Siena, up to their old tricks!

[Dane96]

Siena is seriously pathetic. I happened to go to the Siena board today...no posts in days (last one was from Danepound). So, today I am cruising the lax forum page and low and behold, the 'Aints are up to their old tricks. First it was football, then it was lady's hoops (an obvious omission from the schedule considering we probably would win that game this year...but it just so "happened" that Vanderbilt was able to give them a game....cough, cough). Now, MEN'S LACROSSE. This one pony school that lacks a true "athletic program", is no longer playing the Great Danes in lacrosse. They are, however, playing Stony Brook....a natural rival for the 'Aints (cough, cough...bull$iena....cough, cough).

 

G-d help the 'Aints if they lose men's hoops for two season's in a row to the Danes. They may just very well shut down their athletic program completely if that ever happened. Maybe they could use that savings to build some more "same sex, no visitors after 12" dorm rooms that are the hot trend in college.

 

HEY 'Aints.....have some balls and play your natural rival.

 

On a side note, the Danes are showing some balls as they seem to be scheduled to play Hobart up at their place. THAT IS A BIG SHOWDOWN FOLKS. From what I can piece together, the Danes will face UMASS, HOBART, DELAWARE, HOPKINS, SYRACUSE, PROVIDENCE and their AE schedule. There are some other games in there, but Manhattan seems to be dropped. Most lax fans are very shocked but pleasantly suprised at the rapid rise of the AE as a lax conference. Most believe UA should win a very, very difficult conference. Further, fans are pretty much agreed that the AE should win a NCAA game this year or next, while a second non-automatic qualifier bid should go to the AE by '06-07. This league has come along nicely.

[statefan]

The Albany - Siena lax series ended after the 2003 game. We didn't play them in 2004.

[Dane96]

That was because we had scheduled Syracuse. My understanding was that it would continue after that game.

[Dane Pound]

I agree with you about the women's basketball game. I don't think we're alone in thinking $iena was looking to get out of that game until next year when Hutch and Co. graduate. It could just be a coincidence but I don't think so.

 

The lacrosse game with $iena is a different story. The feeling I got from talking with Brian Depasquale was that it was Albany as much as or more than $iena that wanted to drop that game.

 

Coach Marr has stated he is striving to make Albany a perenial top 20 team. One of the only ways to do that is to schedule tougher out of conference opponents. No offense to $iena but they don't fit that bill right now. We've all seen what's happened to the volleyball rankings when they played lower rated opponents-they've won 7 straight matches and their ranking has gone down two straight weeks because the wins have all come against lower rated teams.

 

In the next few years we're going to have to face the facts that some other posters have pointed out. $iena will be a terrific rivarly in basketball but we're going to have to look elsewhere for rivalries in other sports because we are passing them by. I like the games against $iena as much as anyone but when UA's coaches are trying to build nationally recognized programs they're going to have to do it by scheduling up, not down. Especially in sports that don't offer alot of games like lacrosse or football. It would be great to see UA go out and smack the $aints around in lacrosse but I would much rather see them play (and hopefully win some) games against the established teams Dane96 mentioned.

[Dane96]

Well, I can admit maybe I was wrong. But throw in one patsy a year, make it Siena opposed to some other early season games we have.

 

IT also goes to show how non-rounded the Siena program on a whole is.

 

BTW, that Hobart game is going to be very, very tough. It seems to be the opener for both teams and will be played up in Geneva at their 4500 seat facility. Albany scrimmaged the 'Gate this weekend and reports indicate the UA freshman are very good. They also stated that UA had the upper hand in all five quarters that were played (yes, one more qtr was played), scoring on all EMO'S and a majority of their offensive possessions.

 

If the defense is shored up by the heralded newcomers, we should pick up an added win or two, though the OOC is very tough.