Men’s Soccer Faces Local Foe Manhattan on Thursday

The Terriers (1-1) take on local New York City foe Manhattan (2-0) on Thursday, August 30, at 7 p.m. in Riverdale, NY. St. Francis Brooklyn meets Manhattan for the second year in a row at Gaelic Park. The Terriers knocked off the Jaspers, 2-1, in their last contest on September 16, 2017. Since 2011, St. Francis Brooklyn has posted a (3-1-1) mark against Manhattan; all three wins have come at Gaelic Park. The Jaspers finished the 2017 season (9-8-1, 6-3-1 MAAC) and were picked to finish fifth in the 2018 MAAC Preseason Coaches' Poll. LAST TIME OUT: St. Francis Brooklyn fell to Stony Brook, 2-0, in its second game of the season on Monday night. The shutout loss was the first for the Terriers since September 13, 2017, against Hartford. The Seawolves struck in the 25th minute when freshman Gustavo Fernandes scored from five yards out. Their second tally game in the 34th minute on a goal from Jared Dass. St. Francis Brooklyn registered five shots in the contest, two on goal. Junior Kiernan Young and freshman Thriston Briscoe sent shots on net but were turned away by Seawolves' goalkeeper Christian Miesch. PICKED TO THREE-PEAT: St. Francis Brooklyn was selected as the unanimous favorite in the Northeast Conference (NEC) Preseason Poll for the second year in a row, as announced by the league on August 14. The Terriers have claimed two consecutive NEC Championships and are winners of four out of the last five conference titles (2013, 2014, 2016, 2017). 2017 RECAP: For the second year in a row and fourth out of the last five, St. Francis Brooklyn claimed the NEC Men's Soccer Championship and earned a berth into the NCAA Championship. The Terriers defeated rival LIU Brooklyn, 5-0, in the 2017 NEC Championship game and went on to face Fordham in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. St. Francis Brooklyn fell just short against Fordham, as the Rams came out on top, 3-2, in overtime. 2017 marked another memorable year for the Terriers. Tom Giovatto and his staff were named the NEC Coaching Staff of the Year, and Giovatto himself earned the ECAC Coach of the Year honor. A total of nine student-athletes received All-NEC recognition in 2017. Giovatto earned his 100th career victory at St. Francis Brooklyn on Friday, October 20, at home against Robert Morris. Giovatto is the third head coach in men's soccer program history to reach the 100-win plateau. DOUBLE-DIGIT WINS: Since Giovatto took over the helm in 2007, the Terriers have won 10 or more games in a season eight times. St. Francis Brooklyn has recorded double-digit win totals five years in a row and won 14 games last season, the most since the team won 15 games in 1998. The 14 wins in 2017 tied for the second-most victories in a single-season in program history. The Terriers also won 14 games in 1978, 1991, 1995, and 1997. MEET THE STAFF: Giovatto enters his 12th year at the helm of St. Francis Brooklyn. Former St. Francis Brooklyn men's soccer standout Andy Cormackenters his fourth season as an assistant. Alessio Cannata and Hector Guerrero joined Giovatto's staff before the 2018 season. Guerrero will serve as the teams' goalkeepers' coach.