DELAND, FL– The Manhattan Jaspers Women's Lacrosse team (1-6, 0-0 MAAC) put forth a valiant effort against the Hatters of Stetson University (4-4, 0-0 ASUN) by a score of 21-17 on Sunday afternoon.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Embarking on its first trip to the Sunshine State in the Dingler era, the Jaspers looked to bounce back following the Binghamton home match four days ago.
- After Stetson struck first, Brooke Leonard logged her first goal of the season on a free position shot to tie the game at one.
- The Hatters found the back of the net three straight times before Ava Fernandez cut Stetson's lead in half out of the Jaspers timeout.
- The Jaspers and Hatters traded goals until Leonard tied the game at five just eight minutes into the game.
- Stetson doubled its lead against Manhattan in the second quarter before Ashley Bonitch tallied her first goal of the game five minutes into the second stanza.
- While trailing by as many as eight goals, the Jaspers fought through adversity and began their comeback, with Fernandez logging another goal to open the second half for the Green and White.
- On the man-up advantage, Julia Kerr added a free-position strike to narrow Stetson's lead to six.
- Off a save from goalkeeper Danielle Serbinski, Manhattan cleared and got back in transition, where Bonitch found freshman Juliana Mahan for her second career goal. Then, off a free-position shot opportunity, Julia Kerr made it a four-goal game before the Hatters took a timeout.
- The Jaspers made it a three-goal lead after Mahan tallied her second and the team's fifth straight in the third quarter.
- Manhattan's Leonard and Bonitch narrowed the lead back to two with a near-buzzer beater from the latter on a free-position attempt with one-second remaining.
- Three minutes into the final quarter, off a foul on Stetson's Phillips, Ashley Bonitch found Brooke Leonard to tie the game at 15.
- Emily Fiola would score the final two goals for the Jaspers, with the Hatters pulling away from the Green and White down the stretch.
STATS AND NOTES
- Brooke Leonard led the team with four goals on six shots on goal. In a span of 60 minutes, she broke her full-season total from 2024, when she logged just three goals in all last season. Additionally, she won one faceoff and assisted on one goal.
- Ashley Bonitch added three goals and three assists to her ledger. She logged five shots, three on goal. She logged one faceoff and won it while claiming one draw control.
- Julia Kerr also recorded three goals on as many shots on target. Kerr won two faceoffs and logged five draw controls, good for second on the team today.
- Emily Fiola scored the final two goals of the contest in the waning minutes. The midfielder logged four shots on goal and captured a team-high 10 draw controls while causing one turnover on the day.
- Freshman Juliana Mahan found the back of the net twice on five shots and landed three on target.
- Midfielder Colleen Rattigan caused a team-high three turnovers while picking up two groundballs and assisting on one goal.
QUOTES FROM THE JASPERS:
Head Coach Jenna Dingler: "We are really proud of how the offense stepped up and played big in today's game. There were a lot of good moments from today and it was overall a step forward for our program."
NEXT UP:
Manhattan continues its Florida tour as the Jaspers take on the Dolphins of Jacksonville University on Tuesday, March 18, beginning at noon. The game can be viewed on ESPN+ with a paid subscription.
