Manhattan Falls In Season Opener

Box Score (PDF)

Bethlehem, PA - In the season opener for both Lehigh and Manhattan, the Mountain Hawks topped the visiting Jaspers 1-0 on Friday night at Ulrich Sports Complex.

Senior Goalkeeper Marcellin Gohier (Nantes, Frances / CENS) began his senior season with a dazzling performance between the pipes, facing twenty shots and making seven saves.

Lehigh (1-0) scored in 55th minute as Trevor Koski deflected a Nick Jennings free kick into the back of the net.

Manhattan started and finished strong. The Jaspers had the first three shots of the game, including a pair of shots in the 10th minute from junior Berti Fourrier. (Marseile, France / IFC Marseile) In the 16th minute, junior Moritz Riegel (Hannover, Germany / Leibniz Universität Hannover)  unleashed a strong free kick that forced Lehigh keeper Will Smith to make a diving save.

In the final minute, Gohier came up to take a free kick just over midfield and sent a dangerous ball into the box that produced a corner. The Jaspers' corner was loose in the box momentarily before Smith was able to corral the ball and end the game.

Manhattan (0-1) continues their season opening six game road trip closer to home next week, as they travel to Queens to take on St. John's out of the Big East at 7:30 on September 6.

Inside the Numbers

• Manhattan last 11 losses have all come by a single goal, dating back to the 2017 season. The last time a team beat the Jaspers by more than one goal was September 20, 2017 when Fordham downed Manhattan 3-0
• Gohier's seven saves were the most he has made since November 1, 2017 against Canisus when he also made seven stops
• Senior Callum Carsley (Birmingham, England / Princethorpe College) led the way for the Jaspers with three shots, while Fourrier had two shots.
• Four players made their Manhattan debut, including three in the starting lineup. Junior Francois Dulysse (Greenacres, FL / UCF) started and played all 90 minutes, while Riegel had a shot on goal in his 77 minutes on the pitch. Sophomore Joseph Koroma (Harlem, NY / City College) and freshman Johan Velez (New Rochelle, NY / New Rochelle)  also made appearances for the Kelly Green and White.
• Friday's game marked the first time Manhattan has lost their season opener since 2016.

Quoteable
"Really proud of everyone's performance, the boys' effort and energy was there for all 90 minutes against a top Patriot League program. Marcellin was exceptional in net, that was huge for us. We used a lot of younger players tonight and now we just have to build upon this performance and get ready for a really talented St. John's team."
Head Coach Jorden Scott.