PURCHASE, N.Y. – The New Jersey City University men's soccer team stay in the win column with a 2-1 victory at Manhattanville on Wednesday, Sept. 4. Fifth year midfielder Thiago Duarte (Newark, N.J./Newark East Side) and sophomore forward Emmanuel Atorkui (Union, N.J./Northstar Academy) were instrumental in the Gothic Knights' triumph over the Valiants.
 
Despite Manhattanville (0-2-1) leading in shots, shots on goal, and corners, NJCU (2-0) delivered a strong defensive performance and capitalized on their offensive opportunities to secure the win. The Valiants outshot the Green and Gold 17-10, with a 6-5 advantage in shots on target, and dominated in corners 7-1. However, NJCU's solid defense and effective counter-attacks ultimately gave them the upper hand.

In the fifth minute of the match, a poor pass from the Valiants allowed Duarte to capitalize with a clean shot in the box, giving his team a 1-0 lead.

Then, in the 55th minute, Coach Brendan Guzman made a pivotal substitution, bringing on sophomore forward JP Crespo (Belleville, N.J./Belleville). Crespo immediately made an impact, pushing the ball up the field and finding junior midfielder Kevin Alves (Rutherford, N.J./Rutherford) in the box. Alves's shot was expertly tipped by Manhattanville's goalkeeper, but Atorkui was quick to pounce on the rebound, slotting it into the net to secure a crucial second goal and solidify the lead.

In the 81st minute, the Valiants nearly narrowed the gap with a close-range shot directly in front of the goal. However, Alves came through with a crucial defensive play, backing up freshman goalkeeper Dominic Cunha (Rahway, N.J./Rahway) to make the decisive block and keep the clean sheet intact.
 
With just 12 seconds remaining in the match, Manhattanville rallied with a late goal to narrow the deficit to one.

Highlights:
- Duarte recorded his second goal of the season and the eighth of his career.
- Atorkui netted his second goal of the season, bringing his career total to three.
- Alves earned his first collegiate assist with his crucial setup for the second goal.
- Cunha made five saves out of the six on-target shots he faced.

Up Next:
The Gothic Knights will return to action on Saturday, Sept. 7, for a 12:00 p.m. non-conference road match against the University of Mount Saint Vincent.