Box Score
RIVERDALE, N.Y. - The Manhattan College men's soccer team did a lot of things well in their season opener Wednesday night, unfortunately for them, Fairleigh Dickinson was simply better at finding the back of the net in a 3-1 win at Gaelic Park.
The Jaspers (0-1), playing in front a large and boisterous crowd, scored first on a corner kick at the 12:54 mark of the game. Freshman midfielder Daniel Festa hit a ball into the box, which fellow newbie back Eric Montinard headed past Knights goalkeeper Jacob Lissek for a 1-0 lead.
"I was extremely impressed with their effort tonight. First time in the big time, there was a really big crowd out there, the boys responded positively," first-year head coach Ashley Hammond said.
Manhattan's advantage however, was short lived. Pushing into the attacking zone, last season's North East Conference
Rookie of the Year, Dominic Reinold found senior Samson Malijani, who booted one in from 25-yards out to tie the score at 1-1. Malijani, a Preseason All-American selection by several publications, had five of Fairleigh Dickinson's (1-0) 25 shots on goal.
Lissek and Jaspers' freshman goaltender Christopher Lands kept the score tied 1-1 through the first 45 minutes of play but in the second half, the Knights' offense took over. Just after the break, a long ball played into the goal box found the right foot of midfielder Jonathan Gonzalez for the easy put back and a 2-1 advantage.
A back and forth match the rest of the way, the Jaspers responded with several chances of their own, including a strike from freshman midfielder Carlo Giachino that whispered just over the crossbar. In the end, Farleigh Dickinson proved to be a bit too deep and disciplined on this evening. With the entire team pushing forward in the 88th minute, senior midfielder Kenley Mathurin dropped a pass to a wide open Reinold, who beat Lands far post for what would be a 3-1 final score.
The Green and White get six days off before heading to Storrs, Conn. on Tuesday to take on the University of Connecticut at Morrone Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
