$iena game not a double-header?

[Dane Pound]

Chatting with a trusted member of this board at one of the lacrosse games who told me the $iena-Albany women may not play this year. I was curious if anyone had heard anything about it. If it's not a double header you would think they could play that game at the RACC on a different day.

I asked some of the $iena people I work with and of course they told me it was probably because $iena was upgrading it's strength of schedule.

[alumni '92']

the word is that only the men will play on tuesday nov. 23 ... it would be sporting of siena to have agreed to a deal for a game between the women at the RACC ... no luck ... apparently their team lost significant talent this past season ... as stated often on this board, they can't afford to lose one to UA ... disappointing

[statefan]

I see the handwriting on the wall. First we surpass Siena in lacrosse, win a couple of games, then we don't play them anymore. Next, we sign a contract for football and when it's about to begin, they cancel their program. Now, after beating us handily for three years, we come into next season where we will have an all senior front court including a first team all conference center, a conference tournament all-tournament forward and four starters returning at the same time their Latvian players have graduated and all of a sudden, they don't want to play us. It is noteworthy that for the 2003-04 season, the America East had a higher conference Women's RPI than did the MAAC. They play many teams with a lesser RPI than ours and virtually everyone expects ours to increase.

 

Next, the men's game gets scheduled for a Tuesday right before Thanksgiving. I think attendance will drop off. Most students go home for Thanksgiving by then. Alumni who come in from out of town won't be able to get flights or won't be able to get days off from work, because it is already a short week. And certainly Friday nights are more conducive to going out and spending entertainment dollars than are work nights. My somber prediction is that if our team jells during the second half of the season, it will be the same situation as the women, we will enter 2005 with a veteran team, finally ready to compete with Siena physically and the series will get cancelled citing lack of 2004 attendance.

 

Obviously I post stuff regarding Siena that is sometimes to be taken with a smile; but I honestly think it would be good for both schools and the community to compete in every sport we have in common, every year, despite what sometimes may be a disparity of capability in that sport.

[mainejeff]

Forget Siena. You guys are moving onto bigger and better things

 

It is pretty petty when the only other D-1 school in your area refuses to play you.