PURCHASE, N.Y. – Facing one of the nation's stingiest defensive teams entering the day, the Manhattanville College men's soccer team put on one of its finest offensive performances of the season Saturday afternoon at GoValiants.com Field, winning its MAC Freedom Conference opener, 3-1 over Eastern University.
Eastern (7-2, 0-1 MAC Freedom) entered the match having allowed just four goals total through their first eight matches, shutting out five teams along the way, but Manhattanville (5-5, 1-0 MAC Freedom) pressured the Eagles defense all day, finishing with 21 shots (14 on goal), the team's second-highest totals of the season in both marks.
The Valiants grabbed the lead in the 16th minute when freshman
Pablo Bravo Olle (Barcelona, Spain/LFG Bon Soleil) knocked home a loose ball after senior
Oskar Martinsson (Orust, Sweden/Uddevalla Gymnasieskola) and freshman
Jon Kyriakidis (Sleepy Hollow, N.Y./Pleasantville) applied pressure in the box, drawing the attention of Eastern goalkeeper Quentin Keibler, creating an open net for Olle, who knocked in his first goal of the season. Senior
Ryan Trainor (North Salem, N.Y./Kennedy Catholic) added to the lead shortly before the half with a left-footed strike from the top left corner of the box in the 41st minute for his first collegiate goal.
Sophomore
Cristian Araujo (Miami, Fla./Miami Palmetto) knocked home a pass just inside the right post from the top of the box from a Kyriakidis pass in the 59th minute to push Manhattanville's lead to 3-0; Araujo's goal was his third of the season. Manhattanville's defense gave Eastern a taste of its own medicine, holding the Eagles to just seven shots total, five of those on goal. The Eagles finally broke through in the 78th minute when Andrew Fenstermacher headed home Colin Furlong's corner kick just past sophomore goalie
Tim Carsting (Falun, Sweden/Soltorgsgymnasiet), the first goal allowed at home by the Valiants in 257 minutes and 25 seconds.
The Valiants are back in action for a non-conference road match against The College of New Jersey on Wednesday. Following their second conference game at King's (Pa.) next Saturday, the team returns to GoValiants.com Field Wednesday, October 11 for a MAC Freedom showdown with DeSales at 4:00 p.m.
