RIVERDALE, N.Y. – Manhattan's season came to a close in the semifinals of the MAAC Championship on Thursday night with an 11-8 loss to Siena.
"We played well enough to win," said head coach
John Odierna. "When the tides were turning in our favor, there were a couple of in-between plays to be made, and they made them, That is why they beat us."
Siena scored five goals in the fourth quarter to break a 6-6 tie and advance to Saturday's championship game.
Manhattan, the championship's top seed, outscored Siena, the four seed, 3-0 in the third quarter to tie the game.
James McCoy scored twice on the man-up, and
Dan MacKinney provided the other tally for the Jaspers.
The Jaspers made it a 9-8 game with 10:48 to play in the game after a
Quinn Bowler goal, but the Saints held the Jaspers scoreless for the remainder of the contest.
Manhattan battled back to tie the game at 3-3, 6-6, and 7-7 before Pratt Reynolds gave Siena the lead for good at 8-7 with 13:06 to play in the game.
Reynolds and Rocco Santillo had hat tricks for Siena. MacKinney had three points, one goal and two assists to pace the Jaspers.
Liam McDonough provided a significant edge on faceoffs for the Jaspers, winning 16 of 22 on the night. The 16 wins match a season-high for the graduate student. McDonough also scored and had an assist.
The 2023 season closes for Manhattan after posting a 10-5 record and a share of the regular season title for the second time in three seasons.
Odierna added, "I told the guys all night, I love this group. This might be my favorite group that I have coached. I am the luckiest coach in America to coach them. Something we have talked about a lot is what hurts more, the pain of hard work or the pain of regret. Today was more disappointment than regret. We played hard enough, just didn't get the result."
For the latest on the Manhattan College men's lacrosse program, follow the Jaspers on Twitter @ManhattanMLAX and Instagram @Manhattan_Lacrosse.
Gallery: (5-4-2023) Semifinals vs Siena
