By Steven M. Glassman

Director of Sports Information

October 28, 2023

HARRISBURG, PA—United Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) Division I Manor College (7-7-2) senior forward Eddie Fortescue Jr. (Blue Bell, PA/Wissahickon) scored two second-half goals, including the game-winning goal that elevated the eighth-ranked Division I Blue Jays to a 4-3 win versus the 11th-ranked Division II Central Pennsylvania College Knights (12-4-1) in the Eastern States Athletic Conference Championship (ESAC) Match.  The victory also marked the 100th career win for Manor Head Coach John Dempster.  

The Knights' freshman defenseman/midfielder Dylan Luong scored the first two goals (10:06 and 16:12).  He was assisted by sophomore forward Jacob Phillippe on the second goal.  The Blue Jays cut the lead in half when freshman midfielder Adan Crispin-Morales' (Norristown, PA/Norristown) corner kick went to junior midfielder Abubakarr Bangura (Philadelphia, PA/John Bartram). Bangura's kick went into the middle of the net for his fourth goal of the season (23:36).  Central Pennsylvania led at halftime, 2-1.  Manor outshot them 11 (eight on goal) to seven (five on goal).

The Blue Jays tied the match within the first five minutes of the second half.  Freshman midfielder Emylens Bellevue (Philadelphia, PA/Martin Luther King) passed the ball to sophomore forward/defenseman Kounda Doucoure (Philadelphia, PA/Benjamin Franklin) around the 18-yard line.  Doucoure kicked the ball into the middle of the net for his sixth goal of the season (49:26).  Following a Knight foul, Crispin-Morales' direct kick past midfield went to Fortescue Jr. inside the 18.  Fortescue Jr knocked into the left side of the net for his ninth goal of the season (50:41).  After a Manor foul, Central Pennsylvania freshman defenseman Alija Korkutovic's direct kick outside of the 18 went into the right side of the net to tie the match at three (66:44).  Crispin-Morales connected again with Fortescue Jr for the game-winning goal.  His corner kick went to Fortescue around the six. Fortescue Jr's head shot went into the right side of the net for his 10th goal of the season (79:12).  Manor outscored Central Pennsylvania in the second half, 3-1.  The Knights outshot the Blue Jays in the second half, 15 (eight on goal) to eight (six on goal).  Central Pennsylvania outshot Manor for the match, 22 (13 on goal) to 19 (14 on goal).

This was Manor's first postseason championship in any sport since joining the USCAA for the 2021 season.

Dempster Wins 100th Career Match as Manor Head Men's Soccer Coach: Dempster won his 100th career match in the win versus the Knights.  He won his first match, 4-1, versus National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region XIX Division III Passaic County College on October 5, 2010 at home.  Dempster won his 25th, 6-0, versus NJCAA Region XIX Division III Atlantic Cape Community College on October 10, 2012, at home.  He won his 50th, 10-0, at USCAA Division II Pennsylvania State University-Schuylkill on September 28, 2015 in Schuylkill Haven, Pennsylvania.  Dempster won his 75th, 5-1, at USCAA Division II Pennsylvania State University-Lehigh Valley on September 28, 2019.  His overall win-loss record is 100-96-4 (0.510).  This match was also his 200th as Manor Head Men's Soccer Coach. He also improved his overall USCAA head coaching win-loss record to 22-17-3 (0.560).  His ESAC regular season win-loss record is 10-6-1 (0.618).

More Dempster Head Coach Achievements: This is also Dempster's first postseason conference championship as a head coach.  His prior postseason championships were as a Blue Jays Assistant Coach. He also won consecutive Eastern Pennsylvania Athletic Conference (EPAC) regular season championships in 2012 and 2013 when the Blue Jays were NJCAA Region XIX Division III members.  This is the sixth season Dempster has coached in the postseason (2011, 2012, 2013, 2018, 2022, and 2023).

Coming Back: Manor is 1-3-1 overall (1-3-1 on the road) when trailing at halftime this season.  This is the first time they came back after trailing at halftime since October 11, 2022 when they won on the road at Central Pennsylvania, 2-1, after trailing at halftime, 1-0.

First Time in a Long Time (Part I): This was their first Conference Postseason Championship since 2007 when they defeated the Community College of Philadelphia, 1-0, when they were in the Eastern Pennsylvania Collegiate Conference (EPCC).

First Time in a Long Time (Part II): The Blue Jays won its first postseason match since defeating Sussex County College, 1-0, in the NJCAA Region XIX Division III Second Round on October 29, 2013.  The last time they won a road playoff match was on October 29, 2007 when they defeated the Bucks County Community College Centurions, 2-1 in the EPCC Semifinals.

First Time in a Long Time (Part III): This was the first time since the 2011, 2012, and 2013 seasons that the Blue Jays made consecutive postseason appearances.  They appeared in the NJCAA Region XIX Division III Postseason Tournament in those seasons.

Counting the Championships (Since 2005): Manor has won the 2005 and 2007 EPCC Postseason Tournament Championships and 2012 and 2013 EPAC Regular Season Championships before winning this season's ESAC Postseason Championship. 

Consecutive Conference Successes: The Blue Jays have posted 0.500 or better ESAC regular season win-loss records three consecutive seasons.  They previously accomplished this during the 2012 (11-1) and 2013 (13-0) seasons when they were in the EPAC while playing in the NJCAA Division III.

Road Winners: Manor has a 0.500 (or better) road win-loss record (4-4-1) for the in consecutive seasons for the  time since the 2012 (7-1-0) and 2013 (10-0-0) seasons when they were in the NJCAA.

Defeating the Nationally-Ranked: The Blue Jays' win-loss record versus USCAA Nationally-Ranked teams this season to 4-4-0.  The eight matches versus USCAA Nationally-Ranked teams this season are the most in USCAA Division I.

Playing within the Association: Manor's win-loss record versus USCAA teams is 6-5-0 (4-2-0 on the road). The 11 matches versus USCAA schools are the most among USCAA Division I schools. The six victories versus USCAA schools are tied for the most among USCAA Division I schools with Bryant and Stratton College-Rochester.

Finishing Strong: The Blue Jays have won six of its last eight matches and outscored its opponents, 21-13.  They started off the season, 1-5-2, and were outscored, 16 to six.

Eddie Fortescue Jr.'s Scoring Feats: Fortescue Jr. reached double-digit goals (10) in consecutive seasons.  He is the first Blue Jay to achieve this since Mark Colville scored 24 in 2012 and 23 in 2013 when Manor was NJCAA Division III. This was also his third multi-goal match of the season. He has nine multi-goal matches in his Manor career.

Crispin-Morales' Assist Feat: Crispin-Morales became the first Blue Jay this season with three assists in a match.  Fortescue Jr was the last player with three assists in a match versus Central Pennsylvania on September 24, 2022.

Series Record (Since 2008): The Blue Jays are 3-2-0 overall (2-1-0 on the road) versus the Knights since 2008. 

Next Match: Manor awaits the USCAA Division I Men's Soccer Small College National Championship Bid Announcement 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, November 8.  The Tournament will be in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from Thursday, November 16 to Saturday, November 18 (Pool Play) and from Sunday, November 19 (Championship).

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