Box Score
JERSEY CITY, N.J. – Freshman forward Daniel Laguna Kennedy scored his third goal in his last two games, lifting the Manhattan men's soccer team over Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) rival Saint Peter's on Wednesday afternoon. The Jaspers (2-7-1, 2-0-1 MAAC) snapped a seven match losing streak to the Peacock's with their first win over their conference rival since the 2005 season. They are now off to their best start in league play since 2001 when Manhattan won its first three MAAC contests.
A scoreless first half saw both squads' trade opportunities in the first ten minutes. After the Peacock's (2-6-2, 0-2-2 MAAC) earned two corner kicks in the first two minutes, Manhattan countered with a pair of their own, but neither resulted in a quality chance. Maged Alkasimi and Santiago Mateus would each send shots wide of the net for Saint Peter's before Eugene Heerschap had one blocked by the defense and Daniel Festa put one on goal that was saved by goalkeeper Carlos Suarez.
Manhattan's keeper, Alex Coates McDowall, got his first piece of action in the 23rd minute when he stopped an attempt from Nick Sifrin. He later made another in the half, this time on Louis Mobbs, in the 35th to keep the match scoreless. The Jaspers had couple extra chances of their own in the first as both Festa and Tommy Amos had their shots saved away.
It would not take long for the Jaspers to get on the board out of the break, as just 59 seconds into the half Laguna Kennedy broke the tie. Dominic Chavez was able to place a ball perfectly to the striker who buried his team high fifth goal of the year for a 1-0 lead.
Manhattan continued to put the pressure on, subbing in fresh legs and controlling the tempo. Just six minutes after the goal, Laguna Kennedy looked for another but sent a shot over the cross bar in the 52nd minute. The team would muster just one shot after that, a Heerschap attempt which was blocked in front, but the defense held on strong for the victory.
Meanwhile, Saint Peter's fought for an equalizer sending multiple shots towards goal. Their best chance to knot things up came in the 64th minute when Alkasimi blasted one on net that Coates McDowall was able to stop. Despite having five shots in the second half, only one was officially on target.
The Peacock's narrowly outshot Manhattan by a total of nine to eight while both teams recorded five corner kicks in the match. Suarez made three first half saves in the loss with Coates McDowall making three total stops to pick up his second shutout of the year. Each team also had one player receive a yellow card as Eli Bunton got a caution in the 75th minute before Sifrin was booked in the 79th for Saint Peter's.
The Jaspers are back in action on Sat., Oct. 19 when they travel to Lawrenceville, N.J. for a 1 p.m. matchup with Rider.
