BURLINGTON, Vt. – Manhattan returns to the NCAA Tournament after 20 years on Wednesday when the Jaspers visit Vermont for a 6 p.m. contest that can be seen on ESPN+.
QUICK HITTERS
Manhattan is in the NCAA Tournament for the second time in program history. The Jaspers last made it in 2002 when they lost to Georgetown, 12-7.
Manhattan topped St. Bonaventure on Saturday, 8-7, to claim the program's second MAAC title.
The Jaspers' other title came in 2002 when they beat Mount St. Mary's.
Manhattan has won three in a row and is 5-1 in its last six games. The lone loss came against Marist by a goal on April 16.
SERIES SCORE
Wednesday will be the second meeting all-time between the two programs. Vermont won the last meeting 20-5 back in 1999.
LAST TIME OUT
On Saturday, the No. 3 seeded Jaspers took down the top-seeded Bonnies, 8-7, in the MAAC Championship Game.
Justin Malpica scored a hat trick and was named MVP of the MAAC Championship. Malpica entered the game with four goals on the season. The Jaspers trailed 1-0 before scoring three straight in the first nine minutes of the second quarter to take a lead they would not surrender. Malpica scored the final two for the Jaspers to provide the necessary insurance at 8-5. St. Bonaventure then scored twice inside the final three minutes. The Bonnies had a pair of shots inside the last 45 seconds, but neither were on target.
ABOUT VERMONT
The Catamounts enter 11-6 and have won nine in a row. Vermont's last loss came at UMass, 12-10, on March 16. Vermont was the top seed in the America East Tournament and topped UMBC in the final on Saturday. Thomas McConvey was named the Most Outstanding Player of the 2022 America East Lacrosse Championship.
Vermont had nine First Team All-America East selections, led by Thomas McConvey and Ryan Cornell, the league's Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year.
Wednesday will be the first time Vermont is hosting an NCAA Tournament game.
POSTSEASON HISTORY
Wednesday will be the second NCAA Tournament appearance and game for the Jaspers. The first came back in 2002 against Georgetown, who beat Manhattan 12-7. Neither team has won a game in the NCAA Tournament; Vermont is also 0-1.
MAAC CHAMPIONS
In the final against St. Bonaventure, the Jaspers limited the highest-scoring team in the MAAC to just eight goals. The Manhattan defense held the Co-Offensive Player of the Year, Sean Westley, to just three points for the Bonnies. Manhattan trailed 1-0 after one before a four-goal second quarter gave the Jaspers a 4-2 lead at the half, and the Jaspers wouldn't trail again.
Manhattan topped Marist 13-12 in overtime in the semifinals.
Liam Walshe had eight goals for the Jaspers, which was the most by a MAAC player in a game this season.
Kyle Gucwa scored twice, including the game-winner 15 seconds into overtime.
ALL-CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM
Joining Malpica on the all-championship team were Walshe,
Tadhg O'Riordan, and
Luke Pacher. O'Riordan led Manhattan with three caused turnovers and three ground balls in the championship game. Pacher had three groundballs against St. Bonaventure as well.
ALL-MAAC HONORS
Gucwa, Pacher,
Sean MacKinney, and
Jake Nicolosi were named First Team All-MAAC.
Blake Lothian and
Christian Clifford earned Second Team All-MAAC honors, and
Damien Blando earned All-Rookie Team acclaim.
STAT LEADERS
This season, Manhattan was the top team in MAAC in clearing percentage (90.9%). That mark is third in Division I. Defensively, the Jaspers ranked second in Division I in turnovers (13.57) and sixth in scoring defense (9.57).
Individually,
Brendan Krebs is seventh in Division I in GAA (9.58). That mark ranks second in the MAAC.
Gucwa leads the offense for the Jaspers. This season, the junior has 30 goals and 39 points and ranks fifth in the MAAC in goals per game (2.14) and points per game (2.79). Three other Jaspers are over 30 points: MacKinney (36), Walshe (35), and Nicolosi (33).
