PURCHASE, N.Y. - Subbing on in the 79th minute, senior Jostyn Blanco (Norwalk, Conn./Brien Mcmahon High School) proceeded to net a brace to help break a deadlocked contest against Maritime, giving the Valiants the 3-1 victory on Saturday afternoon. With the result, the Valiants now hold two conference victories in as many games played, standing with an overall record of 4-4-1 on the 2024 campaign.
Immediately after trotting onto the pitch, Blanco was fouled in the box, where he stepped up to the penalty spot and put the ball away into the top right corner, putting the Valiants ahead, 2-1. Blanco would strike again just under ten minutes later, this time finding himself one-on-one with the opposing netminder after a through ball from Lucas Fernandez (Stamford, Conn./Stamford), slotting it home for the 3-1 cushion.
Manhattanville jumped out to an early lead under two minutes, after a defensive lapse in the Privateers backline, Keanu Stingone (Kew Gardens, N.Y./Archbishop Molloy) was able to pick a ball out to Mason Chetti (Ronkonoma, N.Y./Connetquot), with Chetti striking it through the legs of the Maritime goaltender.
Maritime would then go on the offensive, firing off four shots at the Valiants netminder, attempting to level the match. As the halftime whistle blew, Manhattanville still retained the lead, 1-0.
The Privateers would continue their relentless attack attempting to find their equalizer, firing seven shots compared to the Valiants three, eventually finding their leveler, from the foot of Jeferson Blanco in the 65th minute. That would make way for Blanco to make his mark as a substitute, lifting the Valiants to a 3-1 victory.
Luis Granados (Pasadena, Calif./St. Francis) got the start in net for Manhattanville, stopping nine shots, and lowering his goals against average to 1.27.
All told, the Valiants were outshot by their counterparts, 14-12, while also being outpaced in the corner department, 9-4.
Up Next
The Valiants hit the road to Riverdale, N.Y. for a rematch of last year's conference semifinal match against the Dolphins, Tuesday night at 7:00 p.m.
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