RIVERDALE, N.Y. –- Home sweet home. The Manhattan men's soccer team earned a hard-fought MAAC victory at Gaelic Park Wednesday night over Fairfield, 1-0.
The Jaspers earn another three points while improving to 4-3-3, 2-0-1 in the MAAC, while Fairfield drops to 5-6,1-2 in the MAAC.
"We showed a different side to us tonight, one that was resilient and determined to preserve a lead," Said head coach
Jorden Scott following the match. "Every game in the MAAC is a battle and more often than not, it's a one-goal game and we showed the quality needed at the right time against a top opponent."
Gunnar Studenhofft struck first for the Jaspers. In the 38th minute, the striker took a ball from midfield, worked his way through multiple Stag defenders, launched a shot from just outside the 18-yard box, and beat the Stag's keeper to the far post for his third goal of the 2022 campaign.
The Jaspers threatened for an insurance goal, with
Harry Bark firing off a shot in the 63rd minute in the 18-yard box, but the Stags keeper got his hands on the ball to keep the score at 1-0 Manhattan.
Danny DiMarco posted his fourth consecutive clean sheet Wednesday. His workload was light, only needing to make one save as his defensive line did not allow the Stags to get close very often. Fairfield only managed to fire off two shots in the game, with both coming in the first half. Anchoring the defense was
Nassim Akki,
Anthony Denis, and
Vladimir Lee, who all played a full 90 minutes.
Compared to the pair of the shots Fairfield managed, the Jaspers rattled off 10, four on target. Manhattan also lined up for a season-high ten corners.
The Jaspers finish week two of MAAC play with a trip to New Rochelle for a matchup with Iona on Saturday.
