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Riverdale, NY – Coming off an impressive 14-4 victory over Presbyterian and a 1-1 road trip to begin the season, Manhattan returns to Gaelic Park for its 2018 home opener against Arizona State on Saturday, February 24 at 1:00 pm.
The full game will be streamed live on the Jasper Sports Network starting at 1:00 pm. Live stats will also be provided.
One week into the season, the Jaspers have alternated wins and losses. After dropping a close 12-8 contest to Mount St. Mary's on February 17, Manhattan went wire-to-wire against the Blue Hose two days later. Senior
Sarah Lang and junior
Molly Fitzpatrick each registered four goals.
TRIPLE THREATS
In 2017, the trio of Lang, Fitzpatrick and
Kara Hodapp accounted for 54 percent of Manhattan's total points. In the young season, they have notched 23 of the Jaspers' 31 points, good for 74 percent.
Going further, the senior and junior classes have accounted for 20 of the team's 22 goals and eight of nine assists this season.
PRISTINE PRESTIANO
Starting netminder
Nikki Prestiano nabbed six saves and only allowed two goals in the win against Presbyterian. The two goals-allowed were a career low for Prestiano, who only gave up three in last year's win over Saint Mary's.
OFFENSIVE BOOST
Head Coach
Katie McConnell has already helped strengthen Manhattan's offensive unit during her tenure in Riverdale. In her 18 games, the Jaspers are scoring 9.6 goals per game. From 2012-2016, Manhattan averaged 8.5 goals per match.
SHOOTING PERCENTAGE TRENDING UPWARD
In the early portion of the 2018 campaign, Manhattan is producing better numbers in both shooting percentage (.431 this year compared to .396) and opponent shooting percentage (.333 from .396) compared to 2017.
GROUND BALL VARIETY
Seventeen different Jaspers have scooped up ground balls this season. Prestiano and classmate
Jillian Calandra pace the squad with 11 and six, respectively.
EMPIRE STATE OF MIND
Between both Manhattan and Arizona State, 23 players from the state of New York will occupy the sideline in the matchup. The Jaspers roster 17 student-athletes, while the Sun Devils have six from the Empire State.
SCOUTING THE SUN DEVILS
Arizona State is in its first year of Division I operations. In addition to playing Manhattan, the Sun Devils will also visit Columbia as part of their East Coast road trip.
The newly minted Pac-12 team is 2-1 entering the contest with wins over Kennesaw State and Stetson. Most recently, ASU fell on the road to San Diego State last Saturday. The Sun Devil offense averages 14 goals per game. Junior Kerri Clayton leads Arizona State with 16 goals. Freshman midfielder Emily Glagolev has registered a team-high 17 ground balls and 16 draw controls, while sophomore goalkeeper Berkeley Bonneau has received the majority of playing time in net to the tune of 11.05 GAA and 25 saves.
