Buffalo, NY – The Manhattan freshmen class accounted for five goals, but Canisius ended the game on a 6-0 run to win 11-8 in the conference opener for both squads on Saturday afternoon at the Demske Sports Complex.
With the win, the Golden Griffins improve to 4-4 overall and 1-0 against MAAC foes, while the Jaspers fall to 3-6 in 2018 and 0-1 in conference play.
The home team ignited the scoring with an Allie Stewart goal 1:46 into the ballgame. Manhattan responded eight minutes later. Freshman Alaina Burgess (Holden, MA / The Governor's Academy) found a loose ball in front of the net and deposited it into the nylon to make it 1-1 at 20:47 of the first half.
As Canisius nursed a 2-1 lead at the halfway point of the first half, the Jaspers found success against the Griffs' zone. Junior Caitlin Murphy (Carmel, NY / Carmel) lofted a pass over to rookie Grace Owens (Tampa, FL / H.B. Plant), who was alone in front to equalize the game at two.
The scoreboard read 4-2 Canisius as time wound down in the opening frame. However, the Jaspers broke off a rally in the final 1:27 of the stanza. Senior Kara Hodapp (Oak Ridge, NJ / Jefferson Township) started it off with a free-position goal. With 50 seconds to go until halftime, Murphy and Owens connected again on a similar play as Owens' previous score to knot the game at four. Finally, Hodapp raced from the top of the fan, past multiple defenders, and notched her second of the game.
Manhattan's offensive burst continued into the second half. Up 5-4, senior Sarah Lang (Golden's Bridge, NY / Vermont) potted a free-position goal, her 25th of the year, in the opening minutes. The Jaspers registered their fifth straight tally when freshman Carmella Liscio (Blauvelt, NY / Tappan Zee) dashed around the fan and whipped a shot from the left side of the net for a 7-4 lead five minutes in.
The Griffs broke the run with another goal from Stewart, but Manhattan answered back. Lang drew two defenders outside the eight-meter arc, leaving Burgess open in front to record her fifth of the season. The Jaspers led 8-5 with 17:06 to play.
From that point, however, Canisius held Manhattan off the score sheet and scored six straight. The equalizer came from Stewart with 12:35 remaining in regulation. Marissa Malvaso netted the game-deciding, free-position goal with 9:26 on the clock in the second half.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- With seven draw controls and three ground balls on the afternoon, junior Emma Kaishian (Yorktown, NY / Yorktown) surpassed 100 for her career in both categories.
- Burgess has scored twice in back-to-back games.
- Owens registered the first multi-goal game of her career.
- Manhattan won a season-high 15 draw controls.
- Junior goalkeeper Nikki Prestiano (Yorktown Heights, NY / Yorktown) totaled seven saves in net.
- Manhattan held Canisius to 11 goals, the first time the Golden Griffins have been held to that mark in a MAAC regular season game since April 11, 2015.
- Lang extended her points streak to 17 straight games, while Hodapp has earned a point in 10 consecutive contests.
UP NEXT
The Jaspers seek their first MAAC win on Saturday, March 31, heading to Connecticut to face Quinnipiac at Noon.