RIVERDALE, NY – The Manhattan Jaspers Women's Soccer team (6-4-5, 5-3-1 MAAC) emerged victorious late in its conference contest Wednesday afternoon against the Red Foxes from Marist University (6-4-5, 4-1-4 MAAC) by a final score of 1-0 at Gaelic Park.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Action appeared to get started bright and early, as Samantha D'Angelo tapped in a would-be goal less than three minutes into the action, later called an offside by VAR.
- Midway through the first half, Olivia McMaster made the heart rates at Gaelic accelerate once more, as her shot in the 16th minute clanked off the crossbar and out of play.
- Molly Brunk got involved plenty in the first half, as she saved back-to-back shots from Marist in the 28th minute.
- Josslyn Weissman forced a save from the Red Foxes' Maddy Catalanotti late in the half, but both goalkeepers stood strong heading into the halftime break.
- Offense came at an even bigger premium in the next set of 45, with Marist clocking two shots off target in the first eight minutes.
- The Jaspers' first shot didn't come until D'Angelo, McMaster, and Amaya Hill all registered chances from the 75th until the 77th minute.
- Shortly following this burst, Mayah Wheeler saw a wide open net off the feed from Hill, finally breaking the ice to give Manhattan a lead with only ten minutes to play.
- Brunk grabbed another crucial save in the 83rd minute, stopping Gabby Tirado's shot to secure the Manhattan victory.
STATS AND NOTES
- Junior goalkeeper Molly Brunk secured her 18th career shutout, a new Manhattan Women's Soccer program record.
- Brunk's four saves marked her third match of the season with four or more.
- Senior defender Mayah Wheeler scored her first goal of the 2025 campaign, also tying her career-high for a season set in 2023.
- Forwards Junior Amaya Hill and Freshman Josslyn Weissman tallied the other two of the Jaspers' three shots on target, outside of Wheeler's goal.
- Defenders Junior Talia Omer and Sophomore Lily Bandel both helped anchor the defensive unit, clocking a full 90 minutes on the pitch.
QUOTES FROM THE JASPERS
- Head Coach Brendan Lawler: "This is a great win against an excellent team. We know there's still a long way to go, but with the way we are defending and creating chances, we are in a good place heading into this [MAAC] playoff chase."
NEXT UP:
The Green and White will return to action this Saturday, October 18 against the Stags from Fairfield. The contest can be viewed on ESPN+ with opening kick scheduled for 2 p.m..
Follow Manhattan Women's Soccer on Instagram and X (@JaspersWSOC).
