PURCHASE, N.Y. – A penalty kick awarded to Montclair State in the second half proved to be the difference as the Manhattanville College men's soccer team dropped a well-fought battle with the Red Hawks 3-2 at GoValiants.com Field Wednesday evening.
 
The Valiants (8-4 overall) and Red Hawks (10-3 overall) battled back and forth all night, but Montclair State always had a response to the Valiants, coming away with the win in dramatic fashion for the second consecutive season. 
 
Senior Omar Parra (Gulfport, Miss./Gulfport) put the Valiants on top early, deflecting in a free kick from sophomore Michael Jean-Charles (Norwalk, Conn./Brien McMahon) in the 18th minute.  Lucas Terci played a major role for the Red Hawks all evening, scoring all three goals while also picking up a yellow card early.  Terci leveled the scoring at one goal apiece with 8:30 remaining in the half, flicking a cross just over freshman goalkeeper Tim Carsting (Falun, Sweden/Soltorgsgymnasiet)'s shoulder. 
 
After entering halftime scored, the Valiants once again jumped on top early in the half when junior Oskar Martinsson (Orust, Sweden/Uddevalla Gymnasieskola) chipped a cross from classmate Robin Schaufele (Kalix, Sweden/Kungsfaegeln) into the left netting to give the Valiants a 2-1 lead in the 55th minute.  It took the Red Hawks just 11 seconds however to erase the deficit, with Terci putting home inside the far post to tie it at 2-2. 
 
The game took a turn in favor of the Red Hawks in the 64th minute, when freshman Mateo Herron (Bogota, Colombia/Colegio Mayor de los Andes) was called for an off the ball foul inside the penalty area which awarded a penalty kick to Montclair State.  Terci again stepped up and delivered for the Red Hawks, placing a shot in the lower left corner to give the Red Hawks a lead they would not relinquish.
 
Manhattanville had opportunities down the stretch, with one of their best chances coming on a header by junior Ryan Trainor (North Salem, N.Y./Kennedy Catholic) in the 76th minute that sailed just over the crossbar. 
 
The Valiants will look to get back on the winning track as they head into MAC Freedom play for the final six games of the 2016 season.  Manhattanville hosts Misericordia at 5:00 pm in the final leg of a triple-header at GoValiants.com Field Saturday.