By Steven M. Glassman
Director of Sports Information
October 11, 2022
HARRISBURG, PA—Manor College (6-1-1 Overall, 3-0-1 Eastern States Athletic Conference) junior midfielder Eddie Fortescue Jr. (Blue Bell, PA/Wissahickon) scored a goal with 36 seconds left as the Blue Jays defeated United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) Division II 12th-ranked Central Pennsylvania College Knights (5-8-0, 1-3-0), 2-1, at the Skyline Sports Complex on City Island.
Central Pennsylvania scored the only first-half goal on a sophomore Amson Charleston goal from freshman Jake Philippe (21:19). The Blue Jays outshot the Knights, seven (three on goal) to five (three on goal).
Manor tied the match on in the second half when Fortescue Jr. scored his 11th goal of the season on a penalty kick after he was fouled inside the 18-yard line (69:38). The Blue Jays scored the game-winning goal when junior forward Abubakarr Bangura's (Philadelphia, PA/John Bartram) pass from the 30 went to Fortescue Jr. Fortescue Jr. dribbled past a Knight defender and scored on the far post (89:24). It was Fortescue Jr.'s second goal of the match and 12th of the season. Manor scored both second half goals. The Knights outshot the Blue Jays in the second half, eight (five on goal) to six (four on goal). Both teams had 13 shots apiece for the match. Central Pennsylvania had eight shots on goal and Manor had seven for the contest. This is the second time this season that the Blue Jays have won after trailing at halftime. Manor defeated NCAA Division III University of Valley Forge, 4-3, on September 22 after trailing at halftime, 3-1.
Fast Start: The Blue Jays off to a 6-1-1 overall start this season. The last time they were off to the same start was in 2018 when they qualified for the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region XIX Division I Men's Soccer Postseason Tournament.
ESAC Men's Soccer Standings (as of October 11):
Manor College: 3-0-1, 10 Points.
Bucks County Community College: 3-1-0, Nine Points.
Central Pennsylvania College: 1-3-0, Three Points.
Williamson College of the Trades: 0-3-1, One Point.
The Defense Rests (Again): Manor allowed one goal for the fourth straight match and the sixth time in seven matches this season. The Blue Jays have allowed the fourth fewest goals in USCAA Division I (out of 12 schools) (13).
Blue Jays' Holman among USCAA Division I Goalkeeping Leaders: Freshman goalkeeper Aiden Holman (Hamilton, NJ/Hamilton) is second in USCAA Division I with a 0.824 save percentage, 61 saves, and 7.63 saves per match. He is fifth in minutes (720:00).
Eddie Fortescue Jr.'s Scoring Feats: Fortescue Jr. has scored a goal in every match this season. His eight-match goal streak is the most by a Manor player since Mark Colville in 2013 (six). Dating back to the 2021 season, he has scored a point in 11 straight matches. His ten-match point streak is the most by a Blue Jay since Colville in 2013 (11). He has 10 multiple-point matches in the last 11. He is also the first Blue Jay with 10 goals in a season since Zola Makanda in 2017.
Blue Jays among USCAA Division I Offensive Statistical Leaders: Fortescue Jr. leads USCAA Division I with 36 overall shots and shares the lead with six assists with Bangura. He is second in points (30) and tied for second with three-game winning goals. Fortescue Jr. is also tied for second with junior midfielder John Levy (Philadelphia, PA/Franklin Towne Charter) with 48 overall shots. Levy is fifth with 24 shots on goal.
Series Record (Since 2008): The Blue Jays are 2-0-0 overall (1-0-0 on the road) in the season series versus the Knights.
Next Match: Manor travels to play USCAA Division II Williamson College of the Trades (3-5-2, 0-3-1) in an ESAC match-up on Thursday, October 13 at 6:30 p.m. in Media, Pennsylvania. The Blue Jays are 5-0-1 (3-0-0 on the road) versus the Mechanics since 2008. Manor and Williamson tied in the previous overall match-up, 1-1, at Manor, on September 27, 2022. The Blue Jays shut out the Mechanics in its previous road contest, 4-0, on October 14, 2021.
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