Box Score
RIVERDALE, N.Y. - The last time the Manhattan Men's Soccer team defeated Fairfield, in 1994, Daniel Laguna Kennedy wasn't even born yet. In his first ever contest against the Stags, the freshman scored a career best two goals as the Jaspers earned a 5-2 win in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) play on Wednesday night. It was also the first victory in the head coaching career of Jorden Scott. The five goals were the most scored in a match by the Jaspers since Nov. 9, 2008 when they earned a 4-3 overtime win over Canisius at Gaelic Park.
Manhattan (1-7-1, 1-0-1 MAAC) got on the board early when Andrew Santos blasted a shot from five yards out that deflected off goalkeeper Joe Martin and into the net in the third minute. That score built not only confidence, but momentum for the Jaspers. They continued to be aggressive offensively while playing stout defense against a potent Fairfield team.
The Stags (3-3-2, 0-1-1 MAAC) did not get their first quality look at goal until the 22nd minute when Reco McLaren sent a lazy shot towards net that was easily saved by Alex Coates McDowall. Less than two minutes later, Jon Clements missed high with his attempt as well.
Another Martin miscue would lead to another Jasper goal in the 28th minute. A low goal kick was stepped in front of by Eugene Heerschap who gathered the ball and went streaking towards the net. After he worked around the keeper, he placed a shot into the wide open net for a 2-0 advantage. That lead would hold heading into halftime but not without some tense moments. Fairfield earned three corner kicks in less than three minutes but was only able to muster two shots that went wide.
Out of the break, the Stags picked up their intensity. Hrvoje Glavan got the first chance of the half, putting a ball towards the back post that was snatched out of the air by Coates McDowall. In the 54th minute, a foul on the Jaspers gave Fairfield a free-kick from just outside the penalty area. Nuno Rodrigues sent a ball through the box that missed a couple of his teammates. However, Samuel Howard's attempt to clear backfired as the ball ricocheted off his foot and into the net for an own goal.
With their lead cut to one, Manhattan turned up the heat in their own right looking to regain the two goal advantage. They would find it in the 66th minute courtesy of Laguna Kennedy. Daniel Festa controlled the ball in the midfield and fed the freshman on the left side. Despite having a shot saved from a similar spot in the first half, Laguna Kennedy was able to fire one from 15 yards out that beat Martin for his first goal of the match.
Fairfield refused to go quietly however, getting a header from Jon Clements that just missed over the crossbar four minutes later. Their persistence again paid off in the 71st minute Clements crossed the ball to the right side where a streaking McLaren finished to the lower right corner, making it a 3-2 contest in favor of the Jaspers.
Throughout the match, the physicality on both ends led to many scoring chances. The most fruitful came in the 77th minute as Laguna Kennedy cleanly dispossessed Matt Danaher deep in the offensive third. After moving into the penalty area, he placed a low shot past the keeper, securing the second multi-goal game of his career. Manhattan found the dagger in the 85th minute as Eli Bunton scored the first goal of his collegiate career off a feed from Alex Shackley that hit the post and bounced home.
For the game, Manhattan outshot the Stags 12-9, placing seven on goal to Fairfield's four. The Jaspers also earned eight corner kicks as compared to six, all in the first half, for the Stags. Both Martin (3-3-2) and Coates McDowall (1-7-1) made two saves in the match.
The Jaspers will return to action next Wednesday, Oct. 16, when they travel to Jersey City, N.J. for a MAAC contest against Saint Peter's.
