Riverdale, N.Y. (October 12, 2007)- A first half penalty kick goal was the difference as Manhattan posted its school record sixth consecutive shutout in a 1-0 MAAC win over Canisius tonight at Gaelic Park. The Lady Jaspers improve to 5-3-4 (2-0-1 MAAC), while the Golden Griffs fall to 4-7-1 (1-2-0 MAAC).
Panullo controlled play in the midfield in the early going for Manhattan, and was awarded a penalty kick in the 15th minute when she was fouled in the area by Canisius player. The senior calmly deposited the penalty kick in the upper right corner to provide the Lady Jaspers with the early lead.
Manhattan had another great chance in the 29th minute, when Panullo fed a nice through ball to a streaking Caroline Morse, who deked the goalkeeper, but poked the ball just wide of net.
The Lady Jaspers carried play for much of the first 45 minutes, holding a 10-6 advantage in shots and a 4-1 advantage in corners into the break.
Canisius picked up the offensive pressure in the second half, tallying nine shots to Manhattan's four, but neither team's net minder was seriously threatened.
Alicia DeFino recorded eight saves for her third straight clean sheet. The senior extended her personal scoreless minutes streak to 575:40, while the team has not allowed a goal in 609:46.
“I believe this is our best first half of the season,” stated head coach Sean Driscoll. “We played with great composure and moved the ball well, creating a lot of scoring chances. We played with a lot of enthusiasm and spirit throughout the game, and put together a good team defense effort in the second half to record our sixth straight shutout.”
“Canisius is a good team, and battled us the whole 90 minutes,” continued Driscoll. “They frustrated us defensively in the second half”
Manhattan continues its home stand on Sunday, hosting Niagara University in a MAAC match slated to begin at 10:00 a.m.
