RIVERDALE, N.Y. - In the final game of the regular season, and final home game in the career of four seniors, the Manhattan women's lacrosse team dropped a 12-6 decision to Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) rival Iona at Gaelic Park on Wednesday night. The loss ended the Jaspers regular season at 4-10 and 2-4 in conference while the Gaels improved to 9-6 and 3-2 in the MAAC.
Iona dictated the pace from the opening draw control as they scored the first four goals of the contest including two a piece from Kylie Gregory and Casey Scully. The Jaspers finally got on the board at the 15:33 mark of the first half when freshman Donna Jo DiNorcia took a feed from a streaking Clare Kerrisk and placed it in the back of the net.
The Gaels would not allow Manhattan to think comeback however as they reeled off three more consecutive scores taking an 8-1 lead into the halftime break. In the first half, Iona was a perfect 11-11 in clear attempts (they finished the game 20-22) and outshot the Jaspers 15-4 while forcing 10 turnovers.
Out of the locker room, Brianna Rickert put Manhattan on the board first and cut the deficit to six. Meghan Testoni would answer right back with a goal of her own before Gregory tallied her third of the game to push the lead up to 10-2 in favor of Iona.
Manhattan would score four of the final six goals in the contest with tallies from Kerrisk, Kelsey Rehain, Carly Eskenazi, and senior Breana Leonard. Leonard forced a turnover in the defensive zone and then streaked all the way down the sideline before wrapping around the back of the net and beating Maria Ortiz for a goal in the final home game of her Jasper career.
The loss also marked the end of the careers of seniors Elizabeth Dugan, BrieAnna Spatarella and Chrissy Gutenberger.
Iona picked up more ground balls than Manhattan (21 to 17) and won 13 of 20 draw controls in the game while forcing a total of 17 turnovers and committing 15 of their own.
Freshman goalkeeper Christina Fiorinelli made 11 saves in the game and picked up a game high eight ground balls while Ortiz stopped six shots in net for Iona.
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