Manhattanville and The College of New Jersey played to a 2-2 draw on Tuesday night at Lions Stadium in Ewing, N.J., in the season opener for both programs. After a scoreless first half, the second half produced four goals as the teams traded momentum in a competitive non-conference matchup in front of 242 fans.
TCNJ broke through first in the 64th minute when Matt Will found the back of the net. Manhattanville answered five minutes later as Nickolas Pagan finished a chance set up by Roberto Velasquez-Osorio to level the score at 1-1. The Lions regained the lead in the 85th minute on a goal by Aidan Ayar, but the Valiants responded with a dramatic equalizer in the 89th minute. Alec Pineda scored the tying goal with assists from Alex Guevara and Peter Scotto, securing the draw for Manhattanville.
Both sides generated chances throughout, with Manhattanville holding an 11-9 edge in total shots and a 6-5 advantage in shots on goal. Jesse James de Ruiter made three saves in goal for the Valiants, while Sean Najdzinowicz recorded four saves for TCNJ. The result leaves both teams at 0-0-1 on the young season.