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ALBANY, N.Y. - The timing is a bit off for The College of Saint Rose men's soccer program as the Golden Knights look to officially get back on the pitch for the first time in 489 days on Friday with a match at the University at Albany. Saint Rose last played on November 16, 2019 when its historic season was capped with a 2-1 setback at Assumption in the Northeast-10 Conference Championship game. The contest closed out a campaign in which the Golden Knights reached the 10-win mark for the first time in the program's 38-year history.
 
Saint Rose has since taken the proactive step to independently schedule games throughout the next two months after the NE10 Council of Presidents received and approved a unanimous recommendation from the NE10 Athletics Council to cancel plans for repositioned regular season and championship competition in the Conference's seven traditional fall sports.
 
"We're just thankful for the opportunity to play. A special thanks to (Associate Vice President and Director of Athletics) Lori Anctil and everyone else from President Marcia White and the administrative team for allowing us to come back. We're looking forward to representing Saint Rose in the best possible light," said fifth-year head coach John Ciano.
 
That being said, Ciano emphasized that his team is treating the spring as a championship season with the goals of continued growth along with winning each of its games, whether they are against an NCAA Division I, II, or III team, all of which encompass the abbreviated schedule. Meanwhile, the extended "off-season" has afforded the squad a prolonged period of time to devote to its tactical development while allowing the student-athletes a unique opportunity to bond with each other.
 
"We're going to treat this as a championship segment and so we're looking to improve on a daily basis, to be competitive and to properly represent Saint Rose men's soccer. We're also going to appreciate the moment because we have learned how quickly things we sometimes take for granted can be taken away," said Ciano.
 
Overall, this is a young team with only three seniors in midfielders Oskar Aaströem and Andrew Lule, and forward Filippo Bellú;. The trio has started 130 games collectively and has helped set the tone for the program's continued growth.
 
At the other end, 10 newcomers have adjusted well to the collegiate game and appear poised to be significant contributors. Among those are back Victor Boje Henriksen and midfielder Casper Rasmussen who are sound technically, have a keen understanding of the game, and bring a high sense of maturity to the mix.
 
All that being said, it's an exciting time for a program that advanced following a pair of postseason road matches to reach the 2019 NE10 championship game.

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