By Steven M. Glassman

Director of Sports Information

April 10, 2026

JENKINTOWN,PA—The United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) Manor College Men's Soccer team (14-5-2 overall, 4-2-2 Eastern States Athletic Conference) was presented with its ESAC Championship Rings at an on campus ceremony in the Basilead Library.

Head Men's Soccer Coach John Dempster served as the emcee for the Championship Ring Ceremony.  In addition to his remarks, there was also a video presentation. 

The rings were provided by Trophy Smack.  The top of the rings had the following inscription: "Manor Men's Soccer 2025 ESAC Champions" with Manor Blue Jays athletics logo in the middle.  Diamonds surrounded the inscription and logo at the top of the ring.  The rings were presented to 15 of the members of the team; Dempster, assistant coach Tom Gangi; Assistant Director of Athletics Damian Schweizer, Provost Dr. Joseph Gillespie, and Vice President and Dean of Student Affairs Allison Mootz.  There were also t-shirts that had the following on the front: Eastern States Athletic Conference (first line) Champions (second line) 20 (soccer ball with the Manor's Athletics logo) 25.

The 2025 ESAC Championship Banner was also there at the Championship Ring Ceremony.

Here is the story about the 2025 ESAC Men's Soccer Championship Season:

Manor won the ESAC for the second time in three seasons, 2-0, versus Central Pennsylvania College on November 1, at the Skyline Sports Complex on City Island in Harrisburg. It was the first time that the Blue Jays posted a postseason shutout since joining the USCAA.  This was the first Manor postseason shutout since October 29, 2013 when they blanked Sussex County Community College in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region XIX Division III Second Round Postseason Tournament, 2-0, at home.  

After starting the season 1-3-0 overall (0-1-0 ESAC) with a -4 goal differential and one shutout, the Blue Jays finished the season on a 13-2-2 stretch (4-1-2) with a +51 goal differential.  Defensively, Manor allowed either zero or one goal in 11 its final 17 matches, including seven shutouts.  The final 17 matches included a five-match winning streak (September 11-September 17) and an eight-match undefeated streak (6-0-2 between September 28 and October 15).  They finished the season, winning four of its last five matches.  

In the ESAC Championship, Manor opened up the scoring in the first half.  Following a Central Pennsylvania foul outside the 18-yard line, sophomore midfielder Jallah Murvee (Philadelphia, PA/Upper Darby) scored his 15th goal of the season on a direct kick that went into the lower right-hand corner of the net (3:57).  The Blue Jays last opened this quickly with a goal since Murvee scored on a throw-in versus Pennsylvania State University-Scranton on October 1 (2:26). The quickest goal of the season belongs to Cherif when he scored 1:46 into the match versus Penn State University-Mont Alto on September 17 (1:46).  The Blue Jays added to its lead when freshman midfielder Brendan Philogene's (Philadelphia, PA) pass went to sophomore forward Moussa Cherif (Philadelphia, PA/Father Judge) outside the 18.  Cherif's shot went into the middle of the net for his 14th goal of the season (37:27).  Philogene was credited with his third assist of the season on Cherf's goal,  Manor led at halftime, 2-0.  The Blue Jays outshot the Knights, nine (seven on goal), to four (three on goal).

Neither team scored in the second half. Senior goalkeeper Aiden Holman's (Hamilton, NJ/Hamilton) point-blank save on Central Pennsylvania freshman Isaac Melendez with 1:21 left preserved the shutout.   The Blue Jays outshot the Knights in the second half, nine (five on goal) to two (one on goal).  Manor's one shot on goal allowed ties for the fewest allowed in a half this season since Penn State University-Mont Alto registered one in the second half on September 17.

The Blue Jays became the first ESAC school to compete in four consecutive conference championships.  They are also the first to win multiple championships.

The Blue Jays appeared in the USCAA Division I Men's Soccer Weekly Coaches Poll for six weeks, reaching as high as tied for sixth.  Manor is 8-2-2 overall as a Nationally-Ranked team this season. They are 18-12-3 overall as a Nationally-Ranked team since 2021.

Manor was 12-2-1 overall when scoring first this season.

They are also undefeated when leading at halftime this season (10-0-0) and since the 2021 season (31-0-0).

Manor was also undefeated when scoring three or more goals this season (11-0-0).

Defensively, the Blue Jays held its opponents to two or fewer goals in 17 of the 21 matches played and posted a 13-2-2 win-loss-tie record in those contests.

The 21 matches, 14 wins (a five-win improvement from 2024), and 0.714 win-loss percentage (a 0.229 improvement from 2024)) are the most since Manor made its USCAA debut in 2021.  The nine home wins and 14 home matches are the most since they joined the USCAA.  The five road road wins matches its 2024 season total.

They also improved from the 2024 season, in setting Blue Jay single-season USCAA Division I records and leading USCAA Division I in the following categories: goals (74), assists (79), points (227), overall shots (483), shots on goal (310), and corner kicks (122).  The 74 goals scored were the most since they scored 81 in the 2012 and 2013 season when they were NJCAA Region XIX Division III members.  Defensively, they allowed fewer goals (27) and had a lower goals against average (1.33), and higher save percentage (0.842) and shutouts (Blue Jay single-season USCAA record eight) from the previous season.  This is the fourth time in the last five seasons that they posted a 1.70 goals against average or lover. Manor also led USCAA Division I with 144 saves.

Manor led the ESAC in goals (34), goal differential (+20), assists (28), points (96), and overall shots (174). 

Individually, following Blue Jays finished in the USCAA Division I top-25 in at least one offensive category: freshman defenseman Umut Akin (Philadelphia, PA), senior defenseman Eldricarl Akonyeh (Philadelphia, PA/Abraham Lincoln), senior defenseman Mamadou Ba (Philadelphia, PA/Franklin Learning Center), freshman midfielder John Cadet (Philadelphia, PA), Cherif, senior midfielder Kounda Doucoure (Philadelphia, PA/Benjamin Franklin), freshman midfielder Emiliano Hernandez (Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico/Cobaej), freshman defenseman Idrissa Konobundor (Sharon Hill, PA/Academy Park), senior midfielder Shiube Larabi (Philadelphia, PA/Science Leadership Academy), sophomore defenseman Scothy Marc (Philadelphia, PA/Samuel Fels), Murvee, freshman forward Seykou Sylla (Philadelphia, PA), and senior defenseman Aiden Tiblier (New Orleans, LA/New Orleans Military Academy).  Akin, Ba, Cherif, Doucoure, Marc, Murvee, and Tiblier shared the USCAA Division I lead in matches played (21).  Ba and Tiblier shared the USCAA Division I lead in matches started (21).  Cherif led USCAA Division I in assists (Blue Jay USCAA single-season record 16), assists per match (0.76), overall shots (Blue Jay USCAA single-season record 90), and shots on goal (Blue Jay USCAA single-season record 60).  He shared the USCAA Division I lead with 44 points with Murvee. Murvee and Sylla finished tied for second with a Blue Jay USCAA single-season record 15 goals. Murvee led USCAA Division I with five game-winning goals.

Holman and junior Raphael Sobiac (Philadelphia, PA/Samuel Fels) finished in the USCAA Division I top-25 in at least one goalkeeping category.  Holman finished tied for first with a Blue Jay USCAA single-season record 20 matches played and started. He also finished second in USCAA Division I with a Manor USCAA single-season record 10 wins.  Sobiac led with an 0.844 save percentage.

Murvee (September 30-October 6) and Cherif (September 16-September 22) were each named USCAA Division I Men's Soccer Player of the Week.

Cherif, Sylla, Murvee, and Holman were voted to the All-ESAC Men's Soccer First Team.  Akin, Ba, and junior defenseman Lucas Dolchanczyk (Philadelphia, PA/Franklin Towne Charter) were voted to the second.  Murvee was voted ESAC Player of the Year.  In eight ESAC matches, he was tied for second in assists (five), third in goals (seven), tied for third in points (19), fourth in shots on goal (18), and fifth in overall shots (24).  Murvee joined Eddie Fortescue Jr, who won this in 2023, as the only Blue Jays to receive ESAC Player of the Year honors.  

Holman was named to the USCAA Division I All-Academic Team for the third time, joining Fortescue Jr as the only Men's Soccer players to be named USCAA All-Academic three times.  Cherif, Murvee, Sylla were voted USCAA Division I First Team All-Americans and Holman was voted Honorable Mention.  This is the first time since Manor joined the USCAA for the 2021 season that four Blue Jays were voted All-American in the same season.  This is also the first time that three Manor players were voted First Team All-Americans in the same season.

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