MONTCLAIR, N.J. – The 2023 Manhattanville College men's soccer season officially drew to a close on Saturday night as the Valiants fell to Christopher Newport 4-1 in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. The Valiants finish the year 9-4-6 overall following the team's third NCAA Tournament appearance in program history.
The Captains took the lead just 79 seconds after opening kickoff as Jonathan Leiding got the match started with his fourth goal of the year to put Christopher Newport out of the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference on the board. The score would prove to be the only shot on net in the opening 45 minutes, while Christopher Newport held a 5-2 advantage in total shots through the first half.
The attacks found their footing in the second half, with the Captains scoring another early goal to begin the period. Caleb Jones would deliver the tally this time, finishing a feed from Trevor Smith 29 seconds into the half. It was the first of 13 total shots Christopher Newport fired across the final 45 minutes, with eight total going on net.
Leiding netted an insurance tally with his second of the night in the 71
st minute. The Valiants would get on the board in the 80
th minute as
Michael Mezzina (Pompton Lakes, N.J./Morris Catholic) connected on a penalty kick. The grad student's goal was the first tally scored in the NCAA Tournament in program history.
Carson Grove ended the night for the Captains with one last goal in the final minute of play, sending Christopher Newport to the Second Round tomorrow against Montclair State.
Luis Granados (Pasadena, Calif./St. Francis) made four saves to conclude his senior season with the Valiants. He will graduate with a program-record 0.891 goals-against average and second in program history with an .819 save percentage.
Beyond Mezzina's goal,
Demba Cham (Bronx, NY/World View High School) and
Arjan Delija (Irvington, N.Y./Irvington) accounted for the other two of the Valiants' shot on net in the contest. Delija also finished with a team-high two total shots in the contest.
Christoper Newport finished with an 18-8 shot advantage. The Valiants earned three of the match's five corners.
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