Box Score
RIVERDALE, N.Y. - The Manhattan women's lacrosse team fell to Sacred Heart, 9-8, in a non-conference affair at Gaelic Park on Wednesday afternoon.
With the loss, the Jaspers fall to 2-7 on the season, while Sacred Heart improves to 3-5.
Manhattan led for a majority of the game, but the Pioneers used a 5-0 run over the final 6:45 of the second half to fight all the way back and earn the victory by the slimmest of margins.
Freshman Averi Farhat netted the game-winning goal with eight seconds remaining in regulation to cap off the Sacred Heart spurt.
Farhat scored the first goal of the game before the Jaspers went on a 3-0 run during the middle of the first half. Junior co-captain Megan Yarusso (Brewster, N.Y. / Brewster) converted on back-to-back free position shots in a span of 19 seconds to give Manhattan a 2-1 lead. Under one minute later, freshman Kara Hodapp (Oak Ridge, N.J. / Jefferson Township) scored on a free position shot to extend the lead to 3-1.
Sacred Heart tallied the final two goals of the opening stanza to knot the score at three apiece at halftime.
The Jaspers offense erupted in the early stages of the second half, scoring four straight and five of the first six goals over the final half hour of play.
Yarusso began the run by completing her hat trick with her third free position goal of the afternoon 5:51 into the second half. The junior concluded the day with a game-high five points (3G, 2A). Junior co-captain Kaitlyn Cunningham (Spring Lake, N.J. / Red Bank Catholic) and junior Claire Roediger (Katonah, N.Y. / Somers) followed with two goals apiece over the Manhattan spurt to provide the team with an 8-4 lead with 7:27 to play.
The Pioneers displayed great resiliency, scoring the game's final five goals.
Defensively, senior co-captain Caitlin Hynes (Mahopac, N.Y. / Mahopac) led Manhattan with a game-high five ground balls. She also led the Jaspers with two caused turnovers.
Senior starting goalkeeper and co-captain Christina Fiorinelli (Massapequa, N.Y. / Massapequa) registered seven saves in the contest.
Junior Stefanie Ranagan (Yorktown Heights, N.Y. / Yorktown) controlled six draws to lead all players.
The Jaspers return to action on Saturday, when they host Canisius for a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) meeting at Gaelic Park. The opening draw control is scheduled for 11 a.m.
