PURCHASE, N.Y. – In a game that saw the Valiants generate a number of offensive chances, it took a free kick off the foot of Michael Mezzina (Pompton Lakes, N.J./Morris Catholic) to record the lone goal as the Manhattanville College men's soccer team earned a 1-0 Skyline Conference win over neighboring Purchase College on Saturday. The victory improves the Valiants' record to 3-4-2 (2-0-1 Skyline) in 2021.
 
After a scoreless first half that saw Manhattanville take 10 corner kicks on the Panthers' side of the field, the Valiants were rewarded in the 54^th minute on a foul by Purchase that set Mezzina up for a free kick straight on from the goal. The junior was able to shoot around the wall of Panther defenders and fire the shot past Travis Stella for his first goal of the year and the only score of the afternoon as the Valiants continued to keep the ball on the Purchase half of the pitch.
 
Manhattanville outshot Purchase 25-11 over the contest, including a 12-3 advantage in the first half. The Valiants also had another 10 corners in the second half, taking 20 during the afternoon compared to Purchase's three.
 
The season-high 25 shots by the Valiants were provided by 11 different players. Mezzina led the attack with five shots (two on goal), while Jackson Ayres (Tampa, Fla./Tampa Prep), Tuesday night's hero that scored Manhattanville's only goal in the draw against Mount Saint Vincent, had four shots of his own, with three on target.
 
Luis Granados (Pasadena, Calif./St. Francis) was once again the man in net, making three saves in his second shutout of the year. The sophomore goalkeeper now sports a stellar 0.80 goals-against average.
 
Up Next
The Valiants begin a five-game road trip on Tuesday at Maritime College. Kickoff in Throggs Neck is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.

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