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West Long Branch, NJ – No. 2 Manhattan (11-4-3) will square off with No. 6 Siena (11-6-1) for the 2015 MAAC Championship on Sunday, November 8 at 3:00 pm at Hesse Field on the Great Lawn at Monmouth University. The Match will be streamed live through
ESPN3.
How The Jaspers Got Here ...Manhattan posted a decisive 3-1 victory over Rider in semifinal action on Friday night with junior
Lizzy Carlson notching two scores and classmate
Erica Modena the final goal. Senior
Kristen Skonieczny was amazing between the pipes, notching a career-high 15 saves in sending the Jaspers to their first-ever MAAC Championship game appearance. Entering the tournament, She had made 66 saves in her first 17 matches.
Carlson Cleans UpFive of Carlson's six goals this season have been game-winners - ranking second in the MAAC and 23rd nationally - with the squad going 5-0 when the Massachusetts finds the back of the net.
With The Win ...
Manhattan improved to 9-8-4, all-time, agianst Rider, including 2-1 during MAAC Tournament play, while giving head coach
Brendan Lawler his first career win (1-4-1) over the Broncs.
Ticket InformationTickets for each day of the championship will be $10 for adults and $5 for minors with students from MAAC school with valid college IDs admitted for free.
Manhattan Wins Three Major Awards Up At MAAC Banquet
Lawler was voted the
Lids Team Sports MAAC Coach of the Year while Skonieczny was named Goalkeeper of the Year and junior
Jenny Bitzer the circuit's Defensive Player of the Year. Additionally, Modena and freshman
Nicole Copping earned spots on the All-MAAC First Team with Copping also picking up All-Rookie honors.
First Match-Up With SienaBack on September 26, Manhattan blanked Siena by a 1-0 score at Gaelic Park with senior
Sam Washuk scoring the lone goal off classmate
Colleen Kavanagh's corner kick. Skonieczny made seven saves in the victory.
All-Time Against Siena ...
The Saints lead the all-time series by a 16-6-4 count, but dropped its only match-up with the Jaspers in MAAC Championship play by a 1-0 count in the quarterfinals of the 2001 tournament.
Senior Class Against The SaintsManhattan's six seniors are 2-1-1 against Siena, posting wins in 2015 and 2012 while tying the Saints a year ago. Modena, senior
Emily Ude and Washuk all have notched goals against Siena while Skonieczny has allowed three goals while making 14 saves in three meetings.
All In The Family DYK? Skonieczny's brother Steve played three years for Siena from 2007-2009 and was named to the All-MAAC Second Team as a freshman.
The Riverdale-based institution is making its eighth MAAC postseason appearance and is 4-5-2 while bowing out of each of its last two appearances (2013, 2009) via penalty kicks.
The Number 19Lawler is 19-12-5 (9-6-5 MAAC) over the last two years after going 19-49-5 (8-26-2 MAAC) in his first seasons at the helm.
With A Win ...- Manhattan would notch its first-ever MAAC Title while qualifying for the NCAA Championship
- Win their 12th match of the year, matching the 2006 squad for most in a season
- Become the sixth different MAAC school to win the tournament in the last six years
Leading The Way
Skonieczny (10-3-3) has recorded a program-record 10 wins and a MAAC-best nine shutouts this season and also holds the school career records for wins (24) and shutouts (17). Additionally, she leads the MAAC and ranks fourth nationally with a .920 save percentage and is fifth in the NCAA ranks with a 0.43 GAA while yielding just four goals during MAAC opposition.
Skonieczny Save Standards
Career/Season - 15 vs. Rider (11/6/15)
Prolific ModenaJunior
Erica Modena notched her team-leading 12th goal of the year against Rider. Her 12 scores are the most by a Manhattan student-athlete since
Laurie Spera scored 14 as a freshman in 1998. She ranks second in the MAAC and 41st nationally with her 12 scores and second in the circuit and 89th on a national level with 26 assists.
Modena Goal StandardsCareer/Season - 3 at Lafayette (9/6/15)
Defense Wins Titles
Thanks to the play of Bitzer, the MAAC Defensive Player of the Year, Manhattan has allowed a MAAC-low nine goals while posting a MAAC-best 11 shutouts.
Up NextWith a victory, the Jaspers would qualify for NCAA Women's Soccer Championship.
The NCAA Selection Show will air on NCAA.Com on Monday, November 9 at 4:30 pm.
