LOUDONVILLE, N.Y. – Siena College has extended men’s soccer head coach Cesar Markovic’s contract through 2020. Currently in his third season at Siena, Markovic has guided the Saints to 23 overall wins and MAAC Tournament Appearances each of the past two years.

“Siena is fortunate to have a soccer coach of Cesar’s caliber running our program,” said Siena College Vice President and Director of Athletics John D’Argenio. “His knowledge of the Northeast soccer community has attracted talented student athletes to Siena. More importantly, the College and our men’s soccer student athletes have a person of character guiding the program who puts the students first.”

Named the program’s seventh head coach on Feb. 7, 2013, Markovic has wasted no time in making the Saints a perennial MAAC contender.

In just his second season last fall, he led the Saints to 10 victories which tied for the second most in program history. Siena started the 2014 season with four consecutive wins for the first time ever, which included a victory over 23^rd ranked Boston University. For two consecutive weeks in mid-September, the Saints received votes in the NSCAA Top-25 Poll with a peak of 24 votes on Sept. 16 which marked the 32nd highest total in the nation. The Saints were also ranked as high as second in the Northeast in the NSCAA's regional rankings the week prior.

Under Markovic’s guidance, the Saints have also developed a great match day atmosphere at Siena Turf Field. Siena recorded the program’s first-ever undefeated home record last fall and ultimately achieved a program record 12-match unbeaten streak at Siena Turf Field. 

“It means a lot to me personally and it means a lot to my family that we’re going to be spending the foreseeable future here at Siena,” commented Markovic. “I just really want to thank our athletic director John D’Argenio and our athletic administration for first of all bringing me here, and second of all trusting me with the future of Siena Soccer.”

In his 20^th season as a collegiate head coach, Markovic has amassed 189 victories including 131 in 16 seasons at the Division I level. He previously served as the head coach at NJIT (2011-12), Stony Brook (2004-10), Saint Peter’s (2000-03) and his alma mater, Division III Hunter (N.Y.) College (1995-99), and is the winningest head coach in program history at all four institutions. Markovic has led his programs to four NCAA Tournament Appearances, guiding Saint Peter's into the College Cup field in 2003 and Stony Brook in both 2005 and 2009. Both Markovic's 2003 Saint Peter's and 2005 Stony Brook squads each won First Round games. He also led Hunter to the regional semifinals of the 1999 NCAA Division III Tournament.

Markovic’s 2015 Siena squad heads into this week’s MAAC Championships unbeaten in their last three matches. The sixth seeded Saints face No. 11 seed Niagara in the First Round of the MAAC Tournament Thursday at 11 a.m. in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.