Purchase, N.Y. – The Manhattanville University men's soccer team battled hard but came up short against SUNY New Paltz on Saturday afternoon, falling 0–2 at GoValiants.com Field.

New Paltz came out aggressively, pressing high and generating multiple early opportunities. Goalkeeper AJ Lucas (Beacon, N.Y./Beacon) was tested throughout the first half, making key saves against Colin Brant, Samuel Snider, and Ryan Zindler to keep the Valiants level. Manhattanville pushed back with chances of their own, including attempts from Oliver Tecuapetla (Valhalla, N.Y./Valhalla), Alex Rojas (Mastic, N.Y./William Floyd), and David Trujillo (Tampa, Fla./Plant), but Hawks keeper Matt Katz stood tall in net. 

The breakthrough came late in the first half. After a foul inside the box, Bryan Lizama converted a penalty kick in the 42nd minute to give New Paltz a 1–0 advantage at halftime.

The Hawks continued to control much of the possession after the break, forcing Lucas into several more strong stops. He denied close-range efforts from Zindler, Owen Joyce, and Brant, keeping Manhattanville within striking distance. However, New Paltz doubled their lead in the 73rd minute when Kieran Weber buried a pass from Zindler to make it 2–0.

Manhattanville fought to pull one back, highlighted by shots from Alex Bacchiocchi (Groton, Conn./Fitch) and late  chances generated by Johnny Antolino (Harrison, N.Y./Harrison), but the Valiants were unable to break through the New Paltz back line.

Lucas finished the match with seven saves off nine shots on goal and 25 total, anchoring a resilient defensive effort against relentless Hawks pressure. Katz stopped all four shots on goal he faced to secure the win for New Paltz.

Up Next:

The Valiants will look to regroup as they continue their season tomorrow against Cortland at 1 PM. 

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