Sebastiano Musu shined during the game against Columbia.
KAYLEE STOWELL / COURTESY
By Owen McWalters, Contributor
With the Jaspers going winless in their past 12 matches against Columbia University, there was only one thought on their mind going into Wednesday night’s matchup.
The Manhattan University men’s soccer team played a fast-paced, physical game against their Big Apple rival, Columbia, on Wednesday. However, it would end much differently on alumni night as MU would be on the other side of the scorecard, as they defeated the Lions by a score of 1-0.
After a successful outing, head coach of the Jaspers, Jorden Scott, was happy about his team’s performance. He spoke on how the alumni motivated the team going into a tough matchup, and how it helped the Jaspers win against tough competition.
“It was an interesting game, there was a lot going on,” Scott said. “A great start and really motivated to represent our alumni tonight and show them what we’ve been doing with their support. We’re able to build such an incredible program and the environment is just fantastic. It’s happy, it’s successful and we wanted to do it for them.”
The Jaspers wasted no time and ambushed the Lions early, scoring on the first shot of the game. The goal came off the foot of Sebastiano Musu from 20 yards out and only 55 seconds into the contest. The strike came as a result of four quick, yet controlled passes and a beautiful drop off pass from Ziv Dahan as well.
“Against Seton Hall, I had a chance within the first seven minutes and I missed it and that could’ve changed the game,” Musu, the game’s lone goal scorer, said. “Today, I took it and it changed the game for us. Going 1-0 up after one minute is a very good start and it changed the game. We controlled the ball very well and that’s why we won.”
A one-goal game at halftime turned into an even more difficult task for Columbia in the fifty-ninth minute. With MU’s Ziv Dahan sprinting down the field, Jackson ten Oever slid in to tackle the ball away, but took out Dahan in the process. The referee deemed the challenge too aggressive and issued ten Oever a red card, which dropped the Lions to 10 men for the final 31 minutes.
Nassim Akki, the 2022 MAAC defensive player of the year, returned from injury and played a vital role in the win as well. Not only was he a force to be reckoned with on defense, he also helped create a number of scoring opportunities for the Jaspers on offense as well.
The Quadrangle talked with Akki about what it feels like to be back on the pitch and contributing.
“It feels very good. It has been nine months since I have played soccer,” Akki said. “I can only be happy to be back with the team. It was a great feeling tonight. The feeling of a win at home was amazing.”
The Jaspers look to continue their winning ways against their crosstown rival and 18th nationally ranked opponent, Fordham, on Sept. 16.
*Editor’s Note: Mary Haley contributed to reporting.