NEW BRITAIN, Conn. – The Manhattan Jaspers women's lacrosse team (1-6), backed by five goals from Ella Brunette, picked up its first victory of 2026 over the Blue Devils of Central Connecticut State (0-5) by a final score of 16-5 on Saturday afternoon at Arute Field.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Less than a minute into the contest, Brunette picked up her first of the day on a man-up opportunity to give the Jaspers an early advantage.
- Just before the six minute mark, Lauren Maher, Julia Kerr, and Meghan Wendler all struck in quick succession within 80 seconds to quadruple their lead to four before the first quarter came to a close.
- Trading goals back and forth in the second, Maya Metz and Brunette held the two sticks that scored for Manhattan, taking a 6-2 edge into the locker rooms.
- Coming out of the break, the Blue Devils cut their deficit back to two after two early goals from Amaya Monacelli and Makayla Winegar.
- Brunette responded by sparking a three goal stretch followed by the last two from Logan Pilon.
- Just in time for the fourth quarter, Brunette added her fourth with two minutes and change left in the third.
- Brunette and Kerr added two more to the Jasper total within three minutes of the final frame, increasing their margin to seven.
- Avery Graham joined Kerr for the 13th and 14th scores, with Metz and Katelynn Naylor putting a cap on the dominant victory.
STATS AND NOTES
- Freshman attacker Ella Brunette had her breakout performance thus far, netting five goals on nine shots along with causing a turnover.
- Sophomore attacker Julia Kerr accumulated her fourth hat trick this afternoon, increasing her team lead to 16 goals.
- Junior midfielder Audrey Ziff won the most draw controls with seven, with Brunette's six following just behind her.
- Redshirt Junior goalkeeper Sophie Pasnak logged five saves through a full 60 minutes in her first win of the season.
QUOTES FROM THE JASPERS:
- Head Coach Jenna Dingler: "We are so proud of the resilience of this team. They have a relentless ability to compete every day, and that showed in today's performance. It was a team win, with everyone playing an important role to bounce back from our prior games and come out on top today."
NEXT UP:
Manhattan will continue its 2026 campaign on Sunday, March 15 when the Jaspers travel down south on their spring break trip, starting with the Blue Hose from Presbyterian. Action is scheduled to take place from Clinton, SC starting at 12:00 PM and can be viewed on ESPN+ with a paid subscription.
Follow Manhattan Women's Lacrosse on Instagram (@manhattanwlacrosse_) and X (@ManhattanWLacrosse).
