Philadelphia, PA — The Jaspers put forth a valiant effort at No. 11 Penn, but couldn't find the late equalizer to keep pace in a 1-0 loss. Manhattan more than held their own for the majority of the match, but were left stunned on a goal scored by Penn's Jack-Ryan Jeremiah in the 21st minute.
Like other match-ups against ranked opponents, Manhattan did not back down from the national stage, and more than held their weight against a Quakers team armed with offensive weapons.
In the 15th minute, Sebastiano Musu made a great move to beat his defender on the right wing, but his entry pass to Ziv Dahan just missed the sophomore striker and then Henry Hamilton's ensuing shot was blocked. Manhattan seemed to have every answer for the Quakers early, especially as the possession game appeared mostly even in the middle of the field. Penn established good ball movement in the shallow part of Manhattan's side, but even then no danger seemed imminent.
That changed on a breakdown from the Jaspers' defense, which Jeremiah took full advantage of after receiving a cross from the right side.
With their backs against the wall entering the second half, Manhattan hung tough and did a job of utilizing the wings to advance the ball deep into Penn's territory. Still, nothing would give for the Jaspers, and once again the Soccer Gods showed no mercy to a Jaspers side that has embraced a long road of formidable match-ups which brought them face to face with Penn on Saturday night.
Manhattan stuck around, but Penn didn't blink.
The Quakers had a chance to extend their lead in the 86th minute when Stas Korzeniowski's left-footed shot struck the right post and bounced away from danger. The shot battle was even at 10 in this game and Manhattan grinded their way to a 5-1 advantage in corner kicks. Impressively, the Jaspers also held a 55 to 45 percent advantage in possession for the game.
Ludvig Malberg turned in another steady performance with 5 saves in the close loss.
Coaches' Reaction
"We are extremely disappointed to lose a game that we felt we had enough opportunities to win," Manhattan head coach Jorden Scott said after trading blows with Penn.
Scott on the ability to compete on the road against some of the top competition in the country: "To come on the road to one of the best teams in the country and show we belong is a result of the work we have done on and off the field for the last 5 weeks which included 5 games on the road."
Scott on taking the next stop toward the rigors of MAAC play: "We are excited to come home next week and begin another MAAC battle to win a conference championship, where every game is fiercely contested and we will have to be at our best."
On The Ropes
-Manhattan has put a couple of ranked teams on the ropes this season, none more than No. 18 Fordham who shot back with 2 goals in the second half on Monday night to tie Manhattan, 2-2.
-The Jaspers have dropped contests to No. 11 Penn and No. 25 Seton Hall by only a 1-0 margin. The Pirates moved up to as high as No. 8 in the rankings, but will drop down following a 1-0 loss at Providence.
Next Time Out
Manhattan will ring in the MAAC season when Canisius (2-4-1) pays a visit to Gaelic on Saturday, Sept. 28. Kick-off is scheduled for 1 p.m. and the game will be streamed live on GoJaspers.com.
Follow Manhattan Men's Soccer on Instagram and X, @jasperssoccer.
