Box Score Sept. 28, 2012
Final Stats
Bronx, N.Y. -
Most college soccer player remember their first collegiate goals well. Fordham's Kyle Bitterman will probably remember his better than most as his first collegiate tally came in overtime to lead Fordham to a 1-0 win over Manhattan in the annual Battle of the Bronx on Jack Coffey Field.
With the win, Fordham improves to 4-3-1 on the year while Manhattan falls to 0-7-1.
Bitterman's first goal came with 1:40 left in the first overtime as he took a through ball off a fast break from Ollie Kelly and beat Manhattan keeper George Ellis from inside the box.
Fordham's Sean Brailey was perfect in the Fordham net, turning aside all six shots on goal by the Jaspers to record his second straight clean sheet, his third of the year. He lowered his season's goal against average to 0.59.
The Rams had the first scoring chances, with a Tommy Granot shot blocked by a Manhattan defender in the 14th minute and Ryan Walsh sending a shot off the cross bar in the 20th minute.
Just over two minutes later, Brailey thwarted a Manhattan scoring chance, saving a header from Dragovich Manh.
The Jaspers then had three straight scoring opportunities in a 14-second span with Brailey coming up big on all three, saving a shot from Eric Mavakala and then consecutive shots from Kevan Lewis in the 26th minute.
The game remained scoreless into the second half with Ellis stopping a Kalle Sotka scoring chance in the 53rd minute and a Julian Nagel blast seconds later was blocked by the Jaspers' defense.
Later in the half, Ellis kept the Rams off the scoreboard, making saves on shots from Granot and Sotka in the 74th and 76th minute, respectively. Brailey returned the favor for the Rams, corralling a Eugene Heerschap blast in the 88th minute to force the extra period.
There was only one shot in the overtime before Bitterman's game-winner, that coming off the foot of Manhattan's Naru Manh but the shot was high.
Ellis made three saves in net for the Jaspers with each squad getting off 12 shots in the game.
The Rams will return to action next Friday, October 5th, as they open their Atlantic 10 schedule by traveling to Philadelphia to face La Salle University at 7:00 p.m.
