After a six-match losing streak, the Mount St. Mary’s Mountaineers have finally achieved a much-needed win. On Oct. 17, the Mount men’s soccer team won 1-0 against the Howard Bisons in a home match at the Waldron Family Stadium in Emmitsburg, Md. The winning goal came from Defender Adao Manuel which was assisted by Erick Villatoro during the second half. The goal came in the 79th minute which would mark Adao Manuel’s first collegiate goal of his career and would bring another victory in the win column for the Mountaineers.
As the whistle blew, the roar of the crowd gave way to the anticipated match. Within 23 seconds, Howard had made the first unsuccessful attempt at a goal. The kick was made by Howard Midfielder Amir Acree but saved by Mount goalkeeper Adam Siviter. In the next 17 minutes, there would be seven fouls made by both teams. Mount St. Mary’s had their first shot at goal in the 19th minute which was made by Foward Cavan Fernandes and was shot out top.
In the 22nd and 27th minute, Mount received two yellow cards. Following the second yellow card the Bisons had another attempt at a goal but was unsuccessful. Overall, the first half was slightly skewed more towards Howard having three shots at goal while Mount had just one. The Mountaineers had one save in the first half. When it came to fouls, both Howard University and Mount had five fouls each.
There was much anticipation coming into the second half after a close match up to this point. The physicality of the match did not go down as two fouls were given to both teams before a minute had gone in the second half. As the half went on, fouls were committed to both teams. Two yellow cards were also distributed to Howard.
In the 78th minute, during the heavy physical match, the Mountaineers struck first with a sensational goal scored by Forward Adao Manuel. The goal was the first collegiate goal of Manuel’s career. The assist came from Erick Villatoro, who racked up his first collegiate assist of his career.
Two more yellow cards were given to Mount as well as one to Howard. The last shot at goal was made by Forward Jesus Salazar in the last minute of the match, but he was unsuccessful. Then, time ran out and Mount St. Mary’s collected their third win of the season.
When asked about what the feeling was before, during and after the game, Associate Mount Head Coach Trever Singer, said, “There was a very positive atmosphere before, during and after the game. We felt confident and there was a very good aura around the team.”
Regarding the win, Singer stated, “This win puts us one step closer to our goal of making the NEC playoffs. We are still in the running and are hoping to take care of business in our remaining three league matches.”
The Mountaineers take on the Navy in their next match on Oct. 20. They will be looking to step up to the plate and get some more victories in the win column.