Hamden, CT – Junior Molly Fitzpatrick (Yorktown, NY / Lakeland) moved into 15th place on Manhattan's all-time points list with a sharp, four-goal output, but the Jaspers succumbed to Quinnipiac and fell 11-6 in a Saturday MAAC matinee.
Thanks to the win, the Bobcats move to .500 at 1-1 in conference play and 5-5 overall. The Jaspers move to 3-7 in 2018 and 0-2 against MAAC foes.
Quinnipiac drew first blood in the form of a Brianna Fitzgerald goal 1:37 into the game. Manhattan did not wait long to equalize as senior captain Kara Hodapp (Oak Ridge, NJ / Jefferson Township) floated a pass to Fitzpatrick, who beat Quinnipiac's man defense and sent it home to make it 1-1.
The home team responded with back-to-back goals from Allison Kuhn. The Jaspers did the same as freshman Alaina Burgess (Holden, MA / The Governor's Academy) potted a free-position goal just under the 20-minute mark of the first half. Fitzpatrick did the same six minutes later, making it a 3-3 ballgame.
Manhattan would once again answer after a Bobcats goal, but with an odder sequence. Junior Emma Kaishian (Yorktown, NY / Yorktown) won the ensuing draw, and as the Jaspers went on the attack, Quinnipiac jarred the ball loose. In a scrum in front of the net, Fitzpatrick found the ball amidst the chaos and sent it inside the net, tying the score at four with 8:13 until halftime.
The Bobcats ensured the game was not tied for much longer. Three minutes later, Kayla Moreau was fouled inside the arc and awarded a free-position attempt, which she buried. Fitzgerald then won the next draw control, took it herself and scored, giving her team a 6-4 advantage.
Hodapp and Fitzpatrick attempted last-second shots, but were denied twice by Quinnipiac netminder Kyle Larkin to leave the score 6-4 at halftime.
Defense was paramount in the beginning of the second half. Both sides forced multiple turnovers, while Manhattan goalkeeper Nikki Prestiano (Yorktown Heights, NY / Yorktown) notched three saves in the first nine minutes.
Kuhn broke the ice with her second score of the day as the clock read 18:51 in the second half. The Jaspers whittled away at the deficit on their next possession, as Hodapp won the draw and passed the ball to Fitzpatrick. The junior dodged three Bobcat defenders and threw it into the nylon for her fourth of the contest.
Both squads endured another scoring drought that spanned over eight minutes. During that period, Prestiano denied a bounding Moreau in front with an impressive save.
Quinnipiac went back-to-back to ice the drought with 10 minutes to play. Sydney Cowell and Kuhn lit the lamp on consecutive possessions, pushing the Bobcat edge to 9-5.
The Kelly Green and White attempted a comeback with seven minutes remaining. This time, Hodapp got freshman Grace Owens (Tampa, FL / H.B. Plant) involved as the rookie brought Manhattan within 9-6. The Jaspers would not score the rest of the way as Quinnipiac tacked on two insurance goals to cap the afternoon.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- Fitzpatrick passed Nora Jacquette '04 on the all-time points list and now has 110 points in her career.
- Hodapp's three assists are a career-high. She also led Manhattan in draw controls with four.
- Burgess has five goals in her last three games and rides a four-game goal streak. She is now tied with junior Talia Price (Kinnelon, NJ / Kinnelon) for fourth on the team with six goals.
- Owens has four points in her last two games and has registered a point in six of her last seven games.
- Manhattan edged Quinnipiac in ground balls (22-20), draw controls (10-9) and free-position goals (2-4 to 1-3).
- Kaishian and sophomore Hailey Siemek (Bel Air, MD / John Carroll) tied for the team lead with three caused turnovers.
- Senior Sarah Lang (Golden's Bridge, NY / Vermont) led all Jaspers with eight shots and four ground balls.
Manhattan closes out its three-game road trip on Wednesday, April 4 for a 4:00 pm matchup against Marist.