Bronx, NY — Manhattan easily passed the litmus test in the first half of Monday night's match with Fordham. The Jaspers came out of the gates hot and turned in a dominating first-half performance that put the Jaspers ahead 2-0 at half. Nevertheless, all Fordham needed was a second chance, and they stuck the landing by firing back with 2 goals in the second half which yielded the 2-2 tie at Jack Coffey Field.
The first half was a proud display for the Jaspers, outdoing the Rams from both a technical and physical standpoint. Manhattan executed the first punch with a quick finish from senior forward Ziv Dahan off an assist from Tony Yeboah in the 13th minute. In the 36th minute, the Jaspers extended their lead to 2-0 on yet another beautiful display of teamwork, this time with senior forward Sebastiano Musu finding senior midfielder Ronan O'Brien deep in Fordham territory. After taking a few dribbles, O'Brien found the sweet spot by beating Fordham goalkeeper Leo Perelman, who made his debut for the Rams.
Fordham wasted no time enacting their revenge, getting on the board in the 51st minute on a scramble in front of the net that started with a free kick into the box. Jed Dixon had the finishing touch to snap a Rams' scoreless drought that lasted 137 minutes counting their 2-1 loss at Marist.
After conceding 1, Manhattan didn't just sit back. In the 60th minute, the Jaspers came close to giving themselves another 2-goal cushion when Musu played a dangerous ball into the box from the right side. Unfortunately for the Jaspers, no one was in the vicinity on the receiving end and Fordham was spared more life.
The sequence that broke out in the 65th minute proved to be the last scoring tally of the game, with Fordham tying the game on a tap-in from Luke Pompliano in the 65th minute which Jaspers goalkeeper Ludvig Målberg had no chance on. The assist on the goal was credited to Fordham star Daniel D'Ippolito, whose initial ball in was deflected by a Manhattan defender yet still got through.
The feisty proceedings at Jack Coffey Field yielded 5 yellow cards from each side.
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
-Ziv Dahan's goal in the 13th minute increased his total to 3 goals on the season. Dahan leads the Jaspers with 7 points with one assist to his name.
-Dahan and Sebastiano Musu have scored or assisted on 7 of Manhattan's 9 goals this season. Musu added his second assist of the season when he found O'Brien for his goal in the 36th minute.
-Ronan O'Brien's goal was the first of his Manhattan career.
-Manhattan and Fordham tied for the first time since 2016. That meeting at Gaelic Park ended in a 0-0 deadlock after playing overtime.
-Fordham is expected to fall out of the national rankings on Tuesday. The Rams lost their previous game 2-1 at Marist.
Next Time Out
-The intensity of Manhattan's non-conference schedule will add another chapter when the Jaspers visit No. 11 UPenn on Saturday for a 5 p.m. kick-off on ESPN+.
