Box Score
RIVERDALE, N.Y. – On paper, the game looked as though it would be 90 minutes of intense Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference soccer but in reality it played out as simply a one-sided contest by a team focused on victory. Canisius College (2-8-1, 2-1-0) dominated from kickoff, scoring two goals in each half to defeat Manhattan College (0-9-0, 0-3-0) 4-0 Friday night at Gaelic Park.
Coming off a seven-game road trip, the Jaspers returned to Riverdale, N.Y. hoping to find their winning ways but ran into a Golden Griffins squad hungry to move up the MAAC standings and turnaround what has been a difficult season.
While only scoring four goals coming into the contest, Canisius seemed to find their offensive groove, getting tallies from four different players, several of the highlight reel variety. Early on, the indication was that Manhattan would stick with the Griffs, but by the 30th minute it was apparent it would not be their afternoon.
In the 24th minute, Canisius would take the lead for good. Off a pass from the right side of the box, sophomore forward Sam Zarka unloaded from 15-yards out, sending a shot passed Jaspers' freshman goalkeeper Christopher Lands for his first goal of the season and a 1-0 lead.
Six minutes later (30th minute), the Buffalo, N.Y. based school would add to the score. After a Manhattan turnover in their defensive zone, junior striker Sam Guibert found the ball in space and blasted a shot to the upper left corner for his first goal on the campaign and a 2-0 advantage heading into the break.
Pumped up after a speech by first-year Coach Ashley Hammond at halftime, the Green and White came out eager to settle the score in the second half. They attacked early and often on their way to totaling 16 shots, including nine on goal but for the sixth time this year could not find the back of the net. Canisius' sophomore goalkeeper Kareem Gray and his 1.64 goals against average refused to be beat, making save after save enroute to his first shutout of the season.
With the home team unable to claw back into the contest, Canisius would put the game out of reach. In the 59th minute off a pass from sophomore Steve Mahon, fellow classmate Regan Steele raced through the backline and flicked a short ball just inside the crossbar for the 3-0 score and his third point of the game.
In the 88th minute, freshman Zack Schwartz put an exclamation point on a terrific match. Off a pass from senior captain Adam Kingston, the midfielder pushed into the box and headed a ball into the right side of the net for the final 4-0 score.
For Manhattan, senior forward Sean Russell, newcomer Liron Berisha and freshman midfielder Daniel Festa led the team with three shots each while seven other players added one.
The Jaspers look to regroup on the field as they take on Niagara University on Sunday, Oct. 17th with the kickoff set for 10 a.m. Live stats and video for the game are available at gojaspers.com
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