Manhattan University Athletics

RIVERDALE, N.Y. – The Manhattan men's soccer team will enter the 2022 MAAC Championship as the third seed and will host a quarterfinal match against sixth seed Fairfield this coming Sunday at Gaelic Park at 4 p.m.

When these two teams met in conference play, the Jaspers walked out of Gaelic Park with a 1-0 victory. In that match, Gunnar Studenhofft scored in the 39th minute in what would become the go-ahead goal.

These two teams have also met prior in the post-season. Back in the 2011 MAAC Championship, they faced off in the championship game and the Stags came out on top, 3-1.

Manhattan closed the regular season tied for second place with a final record of 7-4-6, 5-1-4 in MAAC play. Strong play on all three fronts have propelled the Green and White to the third seed. This is the best season the team has turned in since the the 12-6 year in 2018

Starting from the back,Danny DiMarco has been stellar between the posts all year. The Sparta, N.J. native has started 12 matches in net and has only conceded five goals all year, giving him a GAA of .529, which is fifth in all the land. DiMarco also owns a save percentage of .793, which is top-50 in the nation.

"Danny has been a key part of this program's progress over the last couple of years. This season he has taken a big step as a leader, organizing and making big-time saves for us," commented head coach Jorden Scott. "His work has been recognized not only in our conference but now nationally as well. We look forward to seeing him carry out this success into the MAAC Playoffs."

DiMarco has gotten fantastic support from the defensive line in front of him.  The anchors of the defense this year have been the center backs, Anthony Denis and Nassim Akki. The Frenchmen lead the team in minutes played, with Denis having logged 1362 while Akki is right behind him with 1332. Out of the 16 matches, Denis has started, he has played a full 90 in 11 while Akki has played 90 minutes in 13 matches.

"Anthony has brought in a complete cultural change to our back line. His maturity, leadership, and quality have filtered through the rest of the back four, and the demand and expectations from himself and the group have really set the standard this Fall."

"Nassim is a special talent at the back. A player who has the ability to not only defend well but bring brilliance in the attacking phase of the game. His ability to break lines of pressure and solve problems on the field so confidently is a solid piece to the back four."

Vladimir Lee has been an impact defender as well. The Queens native has also crossed the 1000-minute mark while assisting on a pair of goals thus far.

"Vlad has been a great story for us these past few seasons from a walk-on to setting himself up as a consistent starter for the program. I believe we saw glimpses of Vlad today in Fall 2022 when he earned the starting right back spot which carried over to the MAAC Playoffs. This year more of the same and even more of a consistent piece to a solid backline."

Offensively, there have been multiple contributors who have made provided production. Leading the way in the points column is Henry Hamilton. In his first year repping the Green and White, Hamilton has recorded 14 points off six goals and two assists. Of those six goals, Hamilton had scored four of them on penalty kicks, which is tied for second in all of NCAA Division I. Hamilton assisted on the game-winning goal against Canisius and sealed the victory with a converted PK.

"Henry came in with a great deal of experience with the New Zealand National team and also transferring from the University of Maryland. His ability to come inside and receive between lines has been a major piece to how we play. He has added moments of brilliance on goals as well this season."

Fellow newcomer, striker Gunnar Studenhofft has been just as brilliant this year for Scott. Studenhofft has logged 12 points off of four goals and four assists. His Jasper debut had him putting on a show, scoring both goals in the team's 2-0 win over Holy Cross. In the team's meeting with Fairfield, it was Studenhofft who recorded the lone goal in the team's 1-0 victory.

"Gunnar has a very bright future here at Manhattan College and this year we have seen great moments from him as we continue to integrate him into our style of play. His qualities as a player are very special and can change a game in a blink of an eye."

Johan Velez came into form during his senior year. The New Rochelle, N.Y. native has come alive, scoring five goals, which is second on the team. He netted his first collegiate multi-goal game earlier this year against Fairleigh Dickson, scoring both goals in the 2-0 win. He also added a goal in the team's 5-0 win over the Mount.

"Johan is another great story for our program. A walk-on player in his freshman year who worked his way to be a consistent name on the lineup sheet. Johan found his way over these last two seasons and has been rewarded with some great goals and assists for the program."

Rounding out the team's offensive attack is senior Ronaldo Da Silva. Da Silva has recorded 10 points off of four goals and a pair of helpers. He recorded his first collegiate multi-goal effort in the team's 3-0 win over Rider earlier in the year. He came through with the go-ahead goal against Canisius in final stretch of the regular season.

"Ronaldo has been a leader on and off the pitch for this team since he arrived. One to lead by example on how he prepares himself off the pitch to compete every day on the field. A converted wingback to more of an attacking role this season we have been able to see his quality on the ball way more often which has been a massive asset to the team's style of play. He is a player that you as a staff look at and say we would love for the younger players in this group to grab some of his great habits to mold their future here as a Jasper."