Junior goalkeeper Jason Torres (Harrison, N.Y.) recorded his sixth consecutive shutout to break the Manhattanville record for consecutive scoreless minutes as the Valiant men’s soccer team defeated DeSales University, 2-0, on Wednesday afternoon in a Freedom Conference match at GoValiants.com Field.
To complement the Valiants’ defensive play, the offense posted a 23-7 edge in total shots against the Bulldogs. Torres made four stops while the Valiants also recorded a pair of team saves, as seniors Keith Simons (Saratoga Springs, N.Y.) and Anthony Ferraro (Bronx, N.Y.) each made nice clears off the endline to keep the Bulldogs off the scoreboard.
Although Manhattanville did not find the net in the first half, junior Kenneil Haye (Queens, N.Y.) nearly put the Valiants on the scoreboard in the 23rd minute by sending a shot off the crossbar. Manhattanville had a 12-4 edge in shots in the first period, almost scoring on multiple occasions.
The Valiants finally capitalized on their chances with 21:05 remaining in the second half, as sophomore Keston George (Port-of-Spain, Trinidad & Tobago) scored off an assist from junior Shadrack Odinga (Kakamega, Kenya). Odinga fired a shot from distance that required a diving save by DeSales keeper Kevin Lawrence, but the ball came right to George inside the six-yard box and he found the empty net for his ninth goal of the season.
Less than three minutes later, junior Sebastian Chica (Port Chester, N.Y.) scored his fourth goal of the season off a great pass by George. The sophomore took control of the ball on the near endline and delivered a pass back toward the middle to an onrushing Chica, who buried a shot high into the near corner.
Torres and the Valiant defense made the goals stand up with some excellent defensive play throughout the contest. In the 12th minute, a header by Aaron Gildner off a corner kick was cleared off the line by Simons to keep the match scoreless. Less than two minutes after George’s goal, Torres reacted quickly to a free kick by Derek Long and parried the ball just over the crossbar to prevent DeSales’ best scoring opportunity to that point.
With 7:52 remaining in the second half, Ferraro made a critical save to secure the shutout, tracking back to the goal line to kick away a header by Matt Murphy at the last moment.
Manhattanville (10-4, 5-0 Freedom) will play its final home game of the 2009 regular season on Saturday, as the team celebrates its senior class with Senior Night before its Freedom matchup with Eastern University beginning at 6 p.m. at GoValiants.com Field.