Box Score
RIVERDALE, N.Y.- Despite a season-high 17 shots, including five on goal, the Manhattan College men's soccer team fell at Rider University Sunday afternoon 2-0.
Playing their second-straight road contest to open Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference play, the Jaspers (0-8-0, 0-2-0 MAAC) battled the Broncs (2-9-0, 1-1-0 MAAC) for the entirety of the match but two costly defensive breakdowns and the continued inability to convert left them feeling star-crossed yet again.
"Other than our trip to Florida, we have been in every game this season," Coach Ashley Hammond said. "We saw today as great progress for the team, especially when we matched them in total shots. The result is disappointing but the effort was tremendous and it will turn around."
Coming off a difficult 5-1 defeat at Saint' Peter's College Friday, Rider came out with a score to settle, equaling Manhattan with a 17-shot barrage on Jaspers' freshman goaltender Christopher Lands, six of which were on goal.
It would be a day full of firsts for the experienced Cranberry and White squad. Sophomore midfielder Chris Kozak and junior forward Jonathan Burd each netted their first collegiate goal while second-year goalkeeper Joseph Giordano made five saves to record his first career shutout.
On the other side, Lands made four saves on the day to give him a total of 44 in eight games played.
With both squads reeling and in need of a conference victory, the game took on a back and forth element with each team building momentum and creating chances at various stages. Having been shutout in their previous two contests, most recently Friday's 4-0 loss at Loyola University, Manhattan desperately tried to get on the scoreboard but it was the hometown Broncs who made their opportunities stand up.
In the 26th minute, Rider would take the lead and never look back. Off a perfect cross from senior midfielder Andrew Cotas, Kozak ripped a shot from 11-yards out that beat Lands under the crossbar for a 1-0 advantage.
Manhattan would send a flurry of shots towards Giordano, including six combined from senior forward Sean Russell and freshman back Erick Montinard but the netminder was simply perfect between the pipes
Midway into the second half, the Broncs would cement their victory. Sprinting into the attacking zone in the 60th minute, Burd settled a pass from sophomore midfielder Dan Friga and snapped a quick shot to the far post and in for the 2-0 score and eventual final.
Having lost eight-straight games to begin the year, Manhattan College returns to Riverdale, N.Y. looking to break the trend. The Green and White play host to MAAC foe Canisius College on Friday, Oct. 15 with kickoff set for 4 p.m. at Gaelic Park.
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