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RIVERDALE, N.Y. – On a day where seven seniors played their final match at Gaelic Park, the Manhattan men's soccer team ensured that their season would continue, earning a 3-0 victory over Niagara. The victory clinches a spot in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Tournament next weekend, marking the first time the Jaspers (5-10-2, 5-3-2 MAAC) have earned a top four seed since the 2001 season.
Manhattan controlled the tempo from the start, spending much of the first half in the offensive third. That effort would pay off in the 20th minute as the team earned a free kick from 25 yards out. Tommy Amos then sent a volley towards the far left post where Alex Shackley headed the ball back towards the face of goal. Senior midfielder Daniel Festa took advantage of the redirect and buried his first goal of the season to give the Jaspers a 1-0 advantage.
That score would hold true to the half as the Manhattan defense prevented the Purple Eagles (5-12-1, 3-6-1 MAAC) from having a legitimate scoring chance. They would look for an equalizer in the 44th minute as Fabio Nagy sent a sharp angle shot from the right side that was saved out of bounds by Alex Coates McDowall. On the ensuing corner kick, Kameron Maney missed his header to the left of the net on the final shot of the half.
In the second half, the Jaspers wasted no time adding to their lead. When Niagara keeper Brenden Ottman was caught out of position in the 48th minute, his defense prevented an open net goal from occurring by denying Eugene Heerschap a clean shot. However, after Amos settled the ball back into the penalty area, Heerschap beat Ottman to the upper right corner for the second goal of the game.
Just 36 seconds later, Amos added his first goal of the year with a nifty touch to get past the defender before chipping the ball over a sliding Ottman. That goal forced a goalie change for Niagara as Eleftheri Lazaridis came on for the final 40 minutes.
Trailing by three, the Purple Eagles began to press earning multiple corner kicks but being unable to find the back of the net. Their best chance came in the 77th minute as Tim Magnusson blasted a shot from the right corner of the penalty box that Coates McDowall punched away. That would be the last shot on goal for Niagara as they were outshot 12-8 in the contest.
With time winding down, head coach Jorden Scott was able to ensure that all seven of his seniors got on the field for one final time as Stefano Carlacci, Sean Towey, Carlo Giachino, Erick Montinard and Christopher Lands joined starters Festa and Samuel Howard on the field late. Lands played the final 9:45 in net for the Jaspers, ensuring the shutout.
Five different Jaspers recorded multiple shots while Amos registered a career high four points on the day and a career best two assists as he played a hand in all three of his team's tallies. Coates McDowall made two saves in the match, picking up his fourth shutout of the year.
Manhattan will now enter the MAAC Tournament for the second time in three years after reaching the championship game as the six seed in 2011. This senior class becomes the first senior class to participate in two conference tournaments since the 2003 seniors. It is only the fifth time the Jaspers have qualified for the four team playoff completing the feat in 2001, 1994, 1992 and 1990. Manhattan also competed in the tournament in 2011, 2007, 2003 and 1999 as part of a 10-team playoff in Orlando, Fla. The Jaspers will meet regular season champion Monmouth on Fri., Nov. 15 at 4 p.m. at Lessing Field in Fairfield, Conn. on the campus of Fairfield University. The two teams battled to a scoreless draw at Gaelic Park in their regular season meeting.