RIVERDALE, NY – The Manhattan Jaspers Men's Soccer team (2-5-2, 1-1-1 MAAC) won its conference contest against the Warriors from Merrimack College (3-6-1, 1-3-0 MAAC) inside Gaelic Park on Saturday evening.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- In the first offensive chance of the first half, William Fagerberg broke the ice off of a feed from Henry Hamilton and Giovanni Rivera during the 12th minute.
- Back-to-back shots from Fagerberg and Martin Rodriguez in the 15th, netting saves for Merrimack's Nelton Semado.
- Ludvig Aberg tallied his first two saves towards the latter end of the first half, sending both teams into the break with the score holding 1-0 in favor of Manhattan.
- In a high-paced second half, chances began slow as Thiago da Silva put the first shot on target in the 55th minute.
- Malberg grabbed his last two saves shortly after, the latter coming from the Warriors' Salvatore Zeni.
- Five cards were issued in less than four minutes late in the game, including a red card on Merrimack to leave them short-handed.
- After Daniel Alleyne clocked the Jaspers' last shot in the 81st, the Green and White kept the ball away long enough to secure their first conference win.
STATS AND NOTES
- Sophomore midfielder William Fagerberg scored for his second consecutive time for the Green and White with the game-winner in the 12th minute.
- Merrimack nearly doubled Manhattan's shot total 13-7, while the Jaspers netted more shots on goal at 5-4.
- The Warriors logged 17 corner kicks to Manhattan's three, including ten in the second half.
- Senior goalkeeper Ludvig Malberg secured his second 90 minute shutout, and first in conference play for 2025.
- Defenders sophomore Max Asplin-Rowley, Junior Paul Abbatiello, and Freshman Lucas Cobo anchored the defensive unit for a full 90 minutes.
QUOTES FROM THE JASPERS
- Head Coach Tom Giovatto: "We're happy for the boys. They worked hard throughout the match. The last two games, we had leads and couldn't hold off to get the points. Today, we had to suffer and I thought we took a step forward to get the win. Now we need to move forward and try to build on this."
NEXT UP
The Green and White are back in action next Saturday, October 11, when the Jaspers travel to Emmitsburg, Maryland to continue its conference slate against Mount St. Mary's. Action can be viewed on ESPN+ with a paid subscription starting at 4 p.m..
Follow Manhattan Men's Soccer on X and Instagram at @JaspersSoccer.
