WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – The Manhattanville College men's soccer team battled two-time defending MAC Freedom champion King's College (Pa.) to a 1-1 draw Saturday evening.
Manhattanville (6-5-2, 0-1-1 MAC Freedom) jumped out to an early lead over King's (10-2-1, 1-1 MAC Freedom) in the first half. Senior defender
Eddie Silber (Holbrook, N.Y./Sachem East) lost his marker on a corner kick from junior
Jesper Hjalm (Stockholm, Sweden/Huddingegymnasiet), heading the cross into the upper right corner of the net for his second goal of the season, giving the Valiants a 1-0 advantage in the 8th minute.
After fighting off a strong Monarch attack in response to the goal, King's finally was able to break through late in the half. Chris Galeano fired a shot from just outside the box that was blocked, but his rebound attempt from 20 yards out beat senior goalkeeper
Willie Silber (Holbrook, N.Y./Sachem East) to bring the game back even before the halftime break.
The Valiant defense stepped up the rest of the way for Manhattanville, holding off a strong King's offense that came into the contest outscoring opponents 22-7, and outshooting opponents 210-110 on the year. The Valiant defense was impressive on the night, holding the Monarch attack to just four shots on goal.
Manhattanville appeared to have taken the lead back midway through the second half, when
Eddie Silber (Holbrook, N.Y./Sachem East) once again headed home a cross in the 63rd minute, but the goal was waived off as the Valiants were whistled for offisdes on the play. The Valiants had another great opportunity midway through the half, when senior
Steve Singson (Deer Park, N.Y./St. Anthony's) headed a cross from Hjalm on net from six yards out, but was turned away by a great save by Monarch goalkeeper Owen Geedey.
After allowing the first half goal,
Willie Silber (Holbrook, N.Y./Sachem East) was solid the rest of the way for the Valiants. The senior made three saves on the night, including a fantastic diving save in the 82nd minute to keep the game deadlocked and send the Valiants into overtime against the Monarchs.
The overtime period was a defensive struggle for both teams, with just one shot allowed by both defenses in the 20 minutes of extra time. Manhattanville earned a corner kick in the 107th minute in the second overtime period, but were unable to capitalize, leading to the eventual draw between the two MAC Freedom teams.
"It was a very tough game, very physical battle, but I was proud of the effort that our guys put in, especially after bouncing back from the performance Wednesday night," said head coach
Gregg Miller. "They are a good team with some very talented individuals and there is a reason why they are the two-time defending champions. To come on the road and get a well-earned draw is satisfactory overall."
The Valiants will look to use the performance as momentum in conference play, as the final five games on the schedule will be crucial MAC Freedom matchups as the team looks to return to the postseason for the first time since 2012.
"We are dealing with a lot of injuries right now, if we can get a few guys healty in the next week or two we can end the season strongly. Put ourselves in contention to compete for a championship," said Miller. "But for now we must refocus as we move on to another very difficult opponent Wednesday afternoon back at home."
That matchup will showcase the Valiants taking on DeSales University on Wednesday, October 14 at 2:30 P.M. at GoValiants.com Field.
