EMMITSBURG, MD – The Manhattan Jaspers Women's Soccer team (7-2-2, 4-1-2 Metro), anchored by two second-half goals from
Olivia McMaster and Laurean Ahearn, emerged victorious in its Metro bout against the Mountaineers from Mount St. Mary's (2-9-2, 2-5-1 Metro) by a final score of 2-1 on Saturday afternoon at Waldron Family Stadium.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Molly Brunk recorded her first save of the day less than eight minutes in, poking out a shot to the high right side by the Mountaineers' Cassidy Nichols.
- Keeping the ball in the offensive zone following a corner kick, Lauren Ahearn found some room to the left side past the goalie, but a team save kept the match scoreless through the 14th minute.
- After an Olivia McMaster shot out to the right in the 23rd, Scarlett Smith forced Mount's Anna Wall to make her first save of the day in the 36th minute.
- Ahearn and Smith each chipped in a pair of chances towards the end of the half, but neither connected to keep the score at zero on each side.
- Manhattan continued to apply the pressure right out of the locker rooms, with McMaster sending in another on target to give Wall her second save in the 48th minute.
- Not to be denied, roughly 10 minutes later, Estelle Raspe sent another ball down to the offensive zone, and McMaster was there to receive the feed and score the match's opening goal in the 61st minute.
- 11 seconds shy of two minutes later, Ahearn took a pass from Marlene Berlinghoff to double up the Jasper lead before the crowd could blink.
- Lauren Ahearn put one on target for the Jaspers shortly after, as Moore accumulated her fourth save through 70 minutes.
- Eryn Primus did not let the momentum stop, getting another on target shortly after the 70 minute marker.
- Brunk tallied three more saves in a span of 10 minutes, keeping the shutout alive through 85 minutes.
- Just 20 seconds before the final buzzer, the Mountaineers' Erin Antone ended Brunk's would-be shutout, assisted by Lillian Young.
- The defense survived the 20 seconds it needed to win their first road Metro match of the season.
STATS AND NOTES
- Senior team captains, midfielder Olivia McMaster and forward Lauren Ahearn, scored only 109 seconds apart, for their fifth and sixth goals of the season, respectively.
- Both of them also led in shots on target, with two for each.
- Senior goalkeeper Molly Brunk collected five saves in the 27th win of her career, extending her program record.
- Defenders Junior Lily Bandel, Freshman Estelle Raspe, and Sophmore Eryn Primus each logged a full 90 minutes on the pitch.
- Manhattan edged out Mount in the shot battle 14-11, tying 6-6 in the on target category.
QUOTES FROM THE JASPERS
- Head Coach Brendan Lawler: "Points are essential here being in the second half of conference play now. Getting three points is huge, and [Mount St. Mary's] has been getting good results, so any time you can get a win on the road it's good."
- Lawler on the difference of play in the second half vs. first half: "All credit to the players. We made better decisions with the ball and executed better. The defense has been great all year, not allowing more than one goal in any game. Hopefully we're in a good place against a good Sacred Heart team next week."
NEXT UP
- Lawler and the Jaspers will return home to Riverdale next Saturday, October 17. On Senior Day, the Green and White will square up with the Pioneers of Sacred Heart inside Gaelic Park. Action is scheduled to get underway at 2:00 p.m., and can be streamed live on ESPN+ with a paid subscription. A pregame ceremony will commence roughly half an hour prior.
Follow Manhattan Women's Soccer on Instagram and X (@JaspersWSOC).
