FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Picking up points in the standings is critical for a team when it plays at home. That's exactly what the Fairfield University men's soccer has done through its first two Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) matches at Lessing Field, holding off Manhattan College for a 2-1 win tonight.

"Picking up three points against an athletic team like Manhattan is critical," Head Coach Carl Rees said. "They have some special players in wide areas but I thought we nullified them. We had some good play from guys who came off the bench and added support where we needed it."

The Stags are 3-0-1 over their last four games on their home pitch including a win over Niagara University to open the home portion of its MAAC slate on October 2. With the victory, Fairfield has seven points off a 2-2-1 conference mark, putting it into  a three-way tie for third place in the standings. Iona College, one of the aforementioned tied teams will come to Lessing Field on Saturday night for a key match beginning at 7 pm.

Coach Rees can only hope that his team continues to play as it has over the last couple of weeks, including a key point in the standings with last Saturday's draw with Siena College. He is seeing a total team effort where players are stepping up when called upon especially when a few midseason maladies arise.

Jonathan Puzzo earned his first career start tonight and gave his teammates quality minutes during which Fairfield built its lead midway through the first half. Thomas Stickley joined the group in the second half and also offered strong play on the pitch, making his presence known with several key tackles that disrupted Manhattan from pushing forward into dangerous areas.

Along with those student-athletes, freshman Rasmus Sorensen-Rejnhold continues his emergence as a force up front, scoring twice in just 65 seconds to set the tone for the rest of the game. Goalkeeper William Marment continued his resurrection on the line with his fourth straight start which included his Fairfield best with six saves. The graduate student did not allow a goal tonight with Manhattan being credited with an own goal which helped him picked up his second win with one draw during his current four-game run.

"I moved Rasmus more centrally because I knew he would see more of the ball," Coach Rees said. "It also enabled him to conserve more of his energy. He can score goals and that's the name of the game. He's dynamite because he runs in behind and makes things happen in the air. Will made six saves including one on a penalty which is his second. His strength is his leadership from the back because he organizes from the back and directs the traffic in front and that's critical at any level."

Sorensen-Rejnhold put Fairfield in the lead in the 25^th minute when he made a strong run to the far post and accepted a pass from Thomas Drillien who showed great vision by picking up his teammate's run in a crowded penalty area. Just over a minute later, Jonathan Filipe put his spin on another Fairfield, this time setting up Sorensen-Rejnhold in the middle of the box with a ball that the freshman converted into a keen shot that caught the upper right corner of the goal.

Not too much later, Manhattan was granted a penalty kick chance when a Jasper was pulled down about 10 yards on the right side of the box. The ball was struck to the lower left corner but Marment was able to fully extend and deflect the ball up in the air. The shot caromed off the cross bar back into play where it was cleared from danger.

The Jaspers goal came with just over two minutes left in regulation when a cross inside the box was miskicked on a clearance chance that ended up landing just inside the near post to bring the deficit down to one goal. Fairfield's defense never allowed Manhattan to mount any pressure in the final two minutes and kept the win on the docket.

Fairfield will host Iona College on Saturday, October 16 in another key conference match with the game kicking off at 7 pm on Lessing Field.