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Having not lost to Manhattan since 2004, the Fordham men's soccer team was hoping that the annual "Battle of the Bronx" on Wednesday would give the squad a boost heading into the start of conference play next weekend. The Rams got just that as
Jon Agostino scored in the 55th minute, while
Alex Naples made three saves, as Fordham edged Manhattan, 1-0, at Gaelic Park.
With the win, Fordham snapped a five-game slide to improve to 3-6-0, while Manhattan fell to 0-7-0.
Fordham had the first scoring chance of the game in the 15th minute, off a
Tommy Granot corner kick.
Jack Bouchard got a header on the cross, but just went left of the post and out of play.
The Jaspers threatened to score the initial marker in the 40th minute, but Fordham keeper
Alex Naples was up to the task . Eugene Heerschap took a shot from the left side from 15 yards out, but Naples came up with a diving save off his left hand to keep the game scoreless.
In the second half, Fordham found the back of the net in the 55th minute for the only goal of the game. After collecting a pass from Granot,
Jon Agostino took on a Manhattan defender at the top of the box, slowly moving toward his right. A second Manhattan defender would move toward Agostino, giving a perfect screen to Agostino, who slipped a shot into the lower right corner of the goal for his second marker of the year.
The Rams' defense would hold on for the clean sheet the rest of the way, as Naples finished with three saves for his second shutout of the season.
The Fordham men's soccer team will next be in action on Friday, October 11th, as the Rams travel to St. Louis for an Atlantic 10 match-up with the Billikens, starting at 8:30 PM Eastern.
