RIVERDALE, N.Y. — Manhattan scored on the very first shot of the game and rode it out to defeat the Columbia men's soccer team, 1-0, Wednesday evening at Gaelic Park.
 
The goal came just 55 seconds into the contest from Sebastiano Musu. Noah Boyce played it into the right side of the area and Musu took a quick left-footed shot to the bottom-left corner that curled around the diving Alexander O'Brien and inside the far post.
 
It was a shocking start that went on to see Manhattan (2-3-0) take the first seven shots of the evening. Columbia (0-3-0) settled down and got off its first shot in the 25th minute off the foot of Luke Zielinski, which sailed just over the bar. Jack McDaid followed with a direct shot off a set piece in the 27th minute that Manhattan keeper Ludvig Malberg saved out of the top-right corner. It was Malberg's lone save of the night en route to his first shutout of the season.
 
A one-goal game at halftime turned into a more difficult task for the Lions in the 59th minute. With Manhattan's Ziv Dahan sprinting down the right side of the field, Jackson ten Oever slid in to try and tackle the ball away but took out Dahan in the process. The referee deemed the challenge too aggressive and issued ten Oever a straight red, dropping the Lions to 10 men for the final 31 minutes.
 
Despite being down a man, Columbia played Manhattan fairly even the remainder of the way. O'Brien made his first two collegiate saves to keep the margin at just a goal but, ultimately, none of Columbia's final four shots in that span were on target.
 
The Lions play their next four games at home over a span of 11 days. The stretch begins Saturday with their 2024 home opener against Sacred Heart. First kick at Rocco B. Commisso Soccer Stadium is scheduled for 7 p.m.
 
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