Riverdale, NY — Rider raced out to an early 1-0 lead, but Manhattan leaned on a magical night from senior forward Sami Derrico whose two goals in the 15th minute and the 79th minute nailed down a 2-1 win over the Broncs. Derrico's second goal was a highlight worthy shot which came from 30 yards out and stunned Rider goalkeeper Ellie Sciancalepore.
After failing to score a goal in their previous two games, Manhattan set out on a mission to rediscover their offensive mojo. The Jaspers' offense was spaced out evenly on Wednesday, allowing the Manhattan midfielders to find enough space while it also facilitated the attack from the wings. Sophomore forward Arancha Antunes did her part to help ambush the Rider defense when her cross into Derrico in the 15th minute led to an easy conversion past Sciancalepore.
"That was textbook," Derrico said about Antunes' pass after the game. "I got the same exact goal at LIU and we try to do that over and over again so that it's muscle memory."
Manhattan took their punches in the midfield, but got up every time by playing just as physical as the Broncs. The sophomore trio of Olivia McMaster, Kaylee Stowell and Talia Omer were huge driving forces toward winning and maintaining possession for Manhattan.
All Derrico needed was space to make Rider pay again.
The next time it came was in the 79th minute when Derrico found just enough space to unleash a shot from 30 yards out which sailed over the outstretched arms of Sciancalepore. The rocket was Derrico's sixth goal of the season which ties her for third most in the MAAC.
"I've had luck from out there the last couple of games," Derrico said with a smile while reflecting on her incredible shot. "I just took it and the release looked good."
Sophomore goalie Molly Brunk wasn't too busy on Wednesday besides an early surprise in the 9th minute off the foot of Courtney Carter which found the back of the net. Carter's finish was the earliest goal Manhattan conceded since getting scored on 40 seconds into the season opener at Fordham. Brunk finished Wednesday night's game with 4 saves.
Overall, Manhattan posted a shots advantage of 19-9 after managing only six shots in the 2-0 loss vs. Fairfield.
Manhattan improves to 2-2-2 in MAAC play and now sits in sole possession of sixth place only two points behind fifth-place Merrimack.
"Everyone is just straight grit," Derrico said. "You look up and down the field and everyone is working."
Coaches' Reaction
Lawler on the motivation to cash in on getting 3 points: "There was a lot of motivation to get three points. We've played well in a lot of games and didn't always collect three points…We know we can win these games and we've been pushing each other all year, so it was great to see them go get it in the second half."
"It's a huge joy for the players because they've been putting in the hard work all the time."
Lawler on the MAAC implications: "It's a huge win because we want to be in the top eight as well as the top four to be able to host a playoff game."
Lawler on the Jaspers' talented trio of sophomore midfielders: "Their ability to play on both sides of the ball is really big for us."
Next Time Out
Manhattan will look to keep their foot on the gas as they prepare to host Niagara (5-4-2, 1-3-2 MAAC) on Saturday at 12 PM. The Jaspers will celebrate Senior Day and the action will be streamed live on ESPN+.
Follow Manhattan Women's Soccer on Instagram (@jasperswsoc) and X (@JaspersWSOC).
