PURCHASE, N.Y. – The road to the Skyline Conference Men's Soccer Championship will continue through Manhattanville as the Valiants defeated United States Merchant Marine Academy 1-0 in Wednesday night's semifinals contest. Manhattanville will now advance to the championship match on Saturday where they will host the College of Mount Saint Vincent.
As has been the story all season long, it was
Eli Pardo (Norwalk, Conn./Brien McMahon) coming up in the clutch to provide the Valiants a crucial goal. With time waning down in the first half, Merchant Marine was assessed a yellow card inside the penalty box. The clock stopped with nine seconds remaining, Pardo stepped up for the penalty kick opportunity, firing a shot past the Mariners' Chase Miller to give the Valiants all the insurance they would need for the night.
The goal drew parallels to the first meeting of the season between the two teams, where Pardo lifted Manhattanville to a 1-0 victory off a penalty kick back on Oct. 9.
With the halftime lead, the Valiants were able to hold off the Merchant Marine attack that fired six second-half shots.
Luis Granados (Pasadena, Calif./St. Francis) was once again up to the task, making a pair of saves in each half to earn his ninth shutout of the season.
Despite USMMA holding a 10-8 shot advantage on the night, the Valiants had five shots on target compared to the Mariners' four.
Michael Mezzina (Pompton Lakes, N.J./Morris Catholic) led the way with two, while
Jackson Ayres (Tampa, Fla./Tampa Prep) and
Sebastian Testa (Clermont, Fla./East Ridge) joined Pardo with a shot on net.
Up Next
A rematch between the Valiants and Dolphins awaits on Saturday with a championship hanging in the balance. Manhattanville hosts Mount Saint Vincent at noon.
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