The Jaspers notch their first MAAC win of the season, improving to 1-4 and 4-9 overall. Iona moves to 7-7 this year and 2-3 against conference competition.
It was Fitzpatrick who broke the Gaels' hearts for a second straight year. Following a Jasper timeout with 1:46 to go in a 7-7 contest, senior Kara Hodapp (Oak Ridge, NJ / Jefferson Township) danced at the top of the 12-meter arc. As the seconds ticked away, she passed it to Fitzpatrick in front. The junior got a beat over her defender, caught the ball and swung her stick forward in one motion, beating Iona's Shannon McCaffrey to give Manhattan the lead.
Iona still had a chance as they won the ensuing draw control and called timeout. Kaitlyn Becker carried inside the fan and was met by multiple Jasper defenders. Becker launched a shot on net, and Prestiano pivoted to her left to deflect the ball away.
It was another classic game between the two rivals that was back and forth from the opening draw. Iona struck first with scores from Jenna Tolzmann and Pamela Giordano 35 seconds apart in the ninth minute of play.
Manhattan got on the board with 15:59 to go in the first half when senior Sarah Lang (Golden's Bridge, NY / Vermont) shook off heavy contact from the side and whipped a shot in, cutting the lead to 2-1.
Only a minute later, junior Caitlin Murphy (Carmel, NY / Carmel) fed Lang 10 meters out. The senior used her 5'11'' frame to navigate a shot past multiple Gaels to knot the score at two halfway through the first.
Giordano then took over Iona's offense, scoring the next three goals of the game to extend the Gaels' lead to its largest of the day, 5-2, as the first half wound down.
The Jaspers were not done yet in the opening stanza. With 3:27 on the clock, freshman Carmella Liscio (Blauvelt, NY / Tappan Zee) earned a free-position attempt and scored her sixth of the season from the eight-meter. Manhattan entered halftime down 5-3.
The visitors dialed their play up a notch to open the second frame. Within the first 90 seconds, Hodapp dished it to Fitzpatrick directly in front, putting Fitzpatrick on the board and cutting the disadvantage to one.
Prestiano made sure the deficit stayed that way when she made ranged to her left and stuck her stick out to deny Tolzmann on a point-blank opportunity.
Less than three minutes after Manhattan's fourth score, freshman Grace Owens (Tampa, FL / H.B. Plant) worked around the right side of the net and tossed it to Fitzpatrick, who converted her second straight for the equalizer.
Prestiano once again stopped Tolzmann from eight meters out to give her double figures in saves. However, she was unable to stop Giordano from collecting her fifth goal of the day 10 minutes into the period, and Iona held a 6-5 edge.
At the 15:40 mark of the second half, Manhattan did not let a free-position chance go to waste. Lang went high-low on McCaffrey to tie it at six and give her a team-high 30 goals on the season.
On the other side, Prestiano stonewalled Iona on three consecutive eight-meter shots in a span of two minutes. It was not until the Gaels called timeout and reset to retake the lead with 11:08 to play.
Fate then began to line up for Fitzpatrick, as she scooped up a loose ball and took it herself to make it 7-7 with 5:34 left. Prestiano helped the cause with a free-position save two minutes afterward.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- Fitzpatrick finished with four goals and now has two game-winning goals and nine points against Iona in her career. It is the third time this season she has registed four goals.
- Fitzpatrick is now 11th all-time in program history with 118 points, surpassing Caralyn Hickey '10 and Melissa Medina '02.
- Prestiano has earned double-digit saves in back-to-back appearances and has held the Gaels under 10 goals in the past two seasons. She outdueled McCaffrey in saves in the final 30 minutes by a tally of 8-0.
- Manhattan out-cleared Iona 20-18.
- The Jaspers scored on every shot on goal they had in the second half and won five draw controls compared to three for the Gaels.
- Junior Emma Kaishian (Yorktown, NY / Yorktown) paced Manhattan with six draw controls. She also caused a turnover and picked up a key ground ball that led to Manhattan's go-ahead goal.
- Hodapp has now earned a point in 14 straight matches and 27 of her last 29 since 2017.
- Manhattan collected its sixth win all-time against Iona.
- The Jaspers held the Gaels to their lowest goal total in conference play this season.
UP NEXT
Manhattan will honor its eight seniors with Senior Day on Saturday, April 14 at 3:00 pm against Siena.