Box Score
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – In their first ever meeting with Syracuse, the Manhattan men's soccer team dropped a 4-1 decision to the 17th ranked Orange on Monday night at SU Soccer Stadium. The match was the first for the Jaspers against a top-20 team since facing top ranked Connecticut in 2011.
For the first 20 minutes of the contest, the Jaspers (0-3) held tough, playing a back-and-forth affair with Syracuse that saw both sides struggle to maintain possession. Manhattan eventually got the first real scoring attempt when Reese Akers blasted a shot in the 15th minute from just outside the penalty area, missing above the crossbar. From there, the Orange (3-1) used their speed to burst through the Jasper defense and pepper the net with shots.
Moments after the Akers attempt, Alex Halis got the scoring started when he buried a low feed from Emil Ekblom in the 17th minute to put Syracuse on top. The momentum continued to go the way of the home team as they continuously fired shots at Alex Coates McDowall in net. Manhattan's rookie keeper made a number of strong saves to keep the deficit at one, but the Orange broke through again when Halis passed through the box to Chris Nanco on the right side who beat Coates McDowall to the upper left corner.
Not only was the offense aggressive for Syracuse, their defense was stout, keeping the Jaspers from having too many chances. They added another goal before halftime, forcing a Manhattan turnover when Noah Rynhart disrupted the backline and fed Halis for his second score of the contest. The Orange would fend off one more Manhattan attack before heading into the break ahead 3-0.
The second half began much like the first ended for Syracuse, with a flurry of offense. The combination of Nanco and Halis found the back of the net for the second time in the 51st with Nanco finishing the cross. Play then became much more physical between the two squads with three yellow cards being issued in a span of five minutes. Both Eli Bunton and Andrew Santos received warnings for Manhattan while Syracuse's Halis was also booked.
Manhattan had two huge chances to get on the board in the 77th minute when Daniel Laguna Kennedy had a shot from inside the penalty area blocked. Junior Eugene Heerschap collected the loose ball and fired a shot on net that was saved by Alex Bono.
Heerschap would later get the Jaspers on the board in the 84th minute. After a corner kick was played away by the Syracuse defense, Brandon Alvarado made a pass from midfield to Heerschap on the right corner of the box. The striker then turned a laced a shot with the right foot up and over a leaping Bono for his first goal of the season.
Coates McDowall (0-3) made five saves in 70 minutes of action before being replaced in net by Christopher Lands. The senior keeper did not have to make a save in his 2013 debut. Meanwhile, Bono (3-1) made two saves in the contest. The Orange outshot Manhattan 18-11 in the game and earned five corners to the Jaspers two.
Following three straight road contests to open the season, the Jaspers make their home debut on Fri. Sept. 13 when they host LIU-Brooklyn for a 7 p.m. contest at Gaelic Park.
