Riverdale, NY - Manhattan women's lacrosse rattled off 10 straight goals to open up the game and cruised to a resounding, 13-4 win over Sacred Heart on Saturday afternoon at Gaelic Park.
The Jaspers have now won five straight, tied for the longest winning streak in program history, and are off to their best start since 2008 at 5-1. The Pioneers stumble to 0-4.
Senior tri-captain
Molly Fitzpatrick (Yorktown, NY / Lakeland) notched three goals, one assist and six ground balls, while junior midfielder
Emily Sandford (Floral Park, NY / Sacred Heart) and freshman attacker
Cassidy Burns (Massapequa, NY / Plainedge) each recorded two scores and two assists. Freshman attacker
Grace Lipponer (Lake Grove, NY / Sachem North) added a hat trick.
In net, senior tri-captain
Nikki Prestiano (Yorktown Heights, NY / Yorktown) and junior goalkeeper
Caitie Pluta (Sykesville, MD / Century) combined to make seven saves while the Jasper defense limited Sacred Heart to a mere 14 shots.
Manhattan aims to make it six wins in a row on Tuesday, March 12, hosting Drexel at 4:00 pm in the team's non-conference home finale.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- Manhattan has whittled its team goals-against average down to six goals per game. During its streak, the team has allowed a mere 26 goals.
- In the second half, Prestiano surpassed 3,000 career minutes in net. She reaches the milestone in 53 career games.
- Fitzpatrick moves within one assist of third place and three goals of sixth place on each respective all-time list.
- The 13 goals are a season-high for Manhattan and the first time it's reached double figures in scoring.
- Burns has collected multi-points outputs in three consecutive affairs, recording 14 points in that span.
- Lipponer tallied her second career hat trick.
- Seven different Jaspers found the back of the net.
- Manhattan's nine assists are the most for a MAAC team so far this season.
- In a dominating first half, the Kelly Green and White outpaced Sacred Heart in shots (23-3), ground balls (14-6), draw controls (9-2) and clears (7-5), while converting two free position goals and two woman-up goals
- Manhattan's 11 draw controls in the game are a season-high.
- Five Jaspers made their season debuts.
FIRST HALF
- Junior midfielder Deb Peifer (Collegeville, PA / Methacton) ignited the scoring, drawing a foul from Olivia Mittleman and scoring on the free position for her second of the year.
- With just 5:15 down, Lipponer got a low pass from freshman midfielder Annie Freshour (Smithtown, NY / Smithtown East), swung her stick to the right and threaded the twine from five meters away.
- Prestiano went to her lower-right to make a stop on Sacred Heart's Lydia Werlau.
- With 17:09 left, Burns connected with sophomore attacker Alaine Burgess (Holden, MA / The Governor's Academy) cutting down the left slot. Burgess buried it to make it 3-0.
- Fifty-three seconds later, Fitzpatrick stood at the top of the eight-meter arc, tossing it to Lipponer. The rookie made a swim dodge through two Pioneers and potted the goal.
- At the 13:25 mark, Fitzpatrick scored a woman-up, free position goal from the left, sneaking it in off the right post.
- Fitzpatrick fought skated past multiple defenders to make it 6-0 with 9:52 on the clock.
- With 7:40 left, Burns raced from the right side and got the angle to score.
- At a similar spot, Burns passed it to sophomore midfielder Carmella Liscio (Blauvelt, NY / Tappan Zee), who was wide open down the middle for the goal at 5:51.
- Sandford found Burns for the final Jasper goal of the half at 4:47.
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SECOND HALF
- Just 1:55 out of the break, Sanford netted her first score of the game by spinning in front while catching a toss from senior midfielder Caitlin Murphy (Carmel, NY / Carmel) for an 11-1 advantage.
- The junior then assisted on Fitzpatrick's final goal of the day 2:03 later.
- Murphy and Sandford connected once again for the Jaspers' final goal of the game, coming with 13:06 to go in regulation.
- Pluta notched her first save of the season at the 9:25 mark when she pocketed Werlau's shot. She made three saves in relief.
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