NEW ROCHELLE, New York – The Marist men's soccer team returns to action on Saturday, when the Red Foxes make a short trip down to Iona for a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference match up vs the Gaels at 3 p.m.

WHERE WE STAND:

Marist currently sits at 5-6-0 (1-2 MAAC) and are coming off a frustrating 1-0 loss vs the Fairfield Stags at Tenney Stadium on Wednesday night.

The match started off as a game of possession and defense before the Red Foxes generated the first few opportunities but were unable to find a goal. The Stags got on the board first in the 37^th minute when a corner kick was sent into the box from the left side that found a head at the back post and went into the back of the net for the 1-0 lead.

Marist came out fired up in the second half and controlled the majority of the possession. The Red Foxes had a great chance to tie it up in the 54^th minute when a cross into the box found the head of sophomore Ernest Mitchell who redirected it toward the left corner but a Fairfield defender was there to clear it off the goal line and keep the score 1-0. Roughly 14 minutes later, Marist had a second golden opportunity to even the score when the ball found Kevin Kappock inside the six yard box and his header beat the goalie but glanced off the cross bar that set up a brief scrum in the box before   his follow up chance went wide. The Red Foxes kept the pressure on as time wound down but the Stag defense stood strong and held on for the 1-0 win.

Marist out shot Fairfield 12-5 in the game, 6-2 and 6-3 in the first and second halves respectively and held a 5-1 advantage in corner kicks.

AN OFFENSE IN THE TOP OF THE MAAC:

As a team, the Red Foxes are first in the MAAC in corners (69), second in the conference in shots (161), tied for second in the MAAC in assists (20) and fourth in the conference in goals (16) and points (52).

TOP DOG AS A ROOKIE:

Freshman Allen Gavilanes currently leads the team with four goals, six assists, 14 points, 32 shots and 14 shots on goal.

He is tied for first in the MAAC in shots, tied for second in the conference in points, is third in the MAAC in assists and is tied for eighth in the conference in goals.

Gavilanes is also among the NCAA leaders. Coming into Wednesday's game vs Fairfield, he was ranked 40^th in the country in points (14) and tied for 9^th in the NCAA in assists (6).

(EDITOR'S NOTE: NCAA stat rankings are updated on Mondays).

LAST YEAR VS IONA:

Last season, Marist beat the Gaels 3-1 on Oct. 5^th at Tenney Stadium for its first MAAC win of the 2016 season.

Then sophomore co-captain Simon Lund Jorgensen converted a ninth minute penalty kick and Cameron Harr found the back of the net to give the Red Foxes a 2-0 lead with 10 minutes left in the first half. Iona trimmed the deficit to 2-1 with a goal four minutes into the second half but just over five minutes later, then junior Brandon Curtis scored, assisted by Lund Jorgensen, to regain the two goal lead and the eventual 3-1 Marist win.

SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION:

The Gaels stand at 2-4-2 (1-2 MAAC) and are coming off a 3-2 loss at Monmouth on Wednesday evening.

Junior Humbert Ferrer leads the team with three goals and seven points, while senior Luis Mendoza is first with 26 shots and eight shots on goal.

Junior Kellar Sirstins has played in six games in goal, starting five and has logged 589:04 minutes played. He has allowed eight goals against to go along with 12 saves, a 1.22 goals against average and a .600 save percentage.

Sophomore Juan Alcantara has played two games in net, starting one and has totaled 206:36 minutes played. He has allowed two goals against, made seven saves and has a 0.87 goals against average and a .778 save percentage.

HOW TO FOLLOW:

A live stream and live stats will be available and fans can also follow @MaristMensSoc on Twitter for in game updates.

UP NEXT:

Following the match at Iona, the Red Foxes return home and face off against the Monmouth Hawks on Wednesday, Oct. 11^th (7 p.m.) at Tenney Stadium.