Box Score
RIVERDALE, N.Y. - The Manhattan men's soccer team fell to Siena, 1-0, in its Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) home opener at Gaelic Park on Saturday night. With the loss, the Jaspers move to 1-7-1 overall, including 0-3-0 in conference play. The Saints improve to 8-5-0 on the season and 3-1-0 against MAAC opponents.
Siena netted the lone goal of the game in the 23rd minute off a set piece. From the right corner, junior forward Tom Allen crossed an in-swinging ball near the edge of the 6-yard box. Jaspers sophomore starting goalkeeper Alex Coates McDowall drifted off his line in an attempt to clear the danger, but the corner landed perfectly onto sophomore center back Danilo Markovic's foot. Markovic clipped the ball inside the far post to provide the Saints with a lead they would maintain the rest of the way.
The Jaspers enjoyed much of the possession and scoring opportunities in the second half, as Siena sat back into a more defensive formation over the final 45. Manhattan's best chance to level in the second frame came in the 84th minute, when senior Eugene Heerschap received a pass through from just over 20 yards out straight on at goal. The forward was brought down just outside the top of the 18-yard box after having his jersey tugged from behind. The head official motioned for play to continue on, and the assistant's flag stayed down. The Jaspers did not have another opportunity to equalize in the waning stages.
In the first half, Manhattan sophomore Daniel Laguna Kennedy had two chances to score on long runs down the left wing, but saw both of his efforts sail wide left. The Jaspers best effort of the match came in the 18th minute off a corner kick. The ball bounced around the box before springing 25-30 yards out onto the feet of captain Tommy Amos. The senior connected well, blasting a powerful strike off the bar. The ball bounced down near the goal line before being cleared by the Siena defense.
The Jaspers held a 12-7 edge in shots and a 9-2 advantage in corner kicks over the 90-minute contest.
The two sides played a very physical game that saw six players (four Manhattan and two Siena) pick up yellow cards.
The Jaspers will return to action on Wednesday, Oct. 15, when they travel to Connecticut to take on Fairfield (4-3-4, MAAC 0-1-2) at 7 p.m.