PURCHASE, N.Y. – For the second-consecutive season, the Manhattanville College men's soccer team has claimed the Skyline Conference regular season championship. Following a 1-0 win over Yeshiva on Tuesday night, the Valiants have secured the top seed for the Skyline Conference Championship and earned a first round bye in the process. Manhattanville heads into the postseason with a 9-4-4 overall record and a 7-1-3 mark in the Skyline.

In a meeting of the top two seeds entering play for the night, tensions were running high. In one of the most physical games the Valiants have been a part of this season, 12 total cards were issued out across the two teams.

The cards nor the encroaching fog deterred the Valiants, however, as the scoreless battle waged on into the 75^th minute. With the field opening up with the action being 10-on-9 following three red cards, the Valiants were finally able to record the game's first and only tally. It would be Arjan Delija (Irvington, N.Y. /Irvington) playing the role of hero, scoring his first career goal off an assist from Matt Rabadi (Hopewell Junction, N.Y./John Jay Senior) to put Manhattanville ahead with under 15 minutes to play.

The Maccabees were unable to mount a response, getting just one shot off over the remainder of regulation with an attempt by Alexandre Assouline that went wide right. The final horn sounded soon after as the Valiant bench stormed the field in celebration of their top-seed clinch.

Luis Granados (Pasadena, Calif./St. Francis) came up with arguably his biggest shutout of his seven this season. The junior netminder made three saves to post a clean sheet, blanking a Yeshiva offense that has been the highest-scoring in the Skyline this season. He will carry a 0.75 goals-against average into the postseason.

The Maccabees held a narrow 5-3 shot advantage in the first half before being outshot by the Valiants 10-1 over the final 45 minutes of action. Eli Pardo (Norwalk, Conn./Brien McMahon) had a team-high four total shots, while Delija's two shots on goal were the most of the team's seven.

Corner kicks ended in favor of the Valiants, 6-4.

Up Next
With the conclusion of the regular season across the conference tonight, the Valiants will enjoy their first-round bye. Manhattanville will host the winner of No. 4 Mount Saint Mary and No. 5 Yeshiva, who are scheduled to play their first-round matchup on Sunday, Oct. 30. The semifinals matchup will be held on Thursday, November 3, at a time that will be announced in the coming days.

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