BY: JACLYN MARR & ASHLEY SANCHEZ
ASST. SPORTS EDITOR & GUEST WRITER
Manhattan is currently 3-12 on the season and 1-6 versus MAAC opponents. The Jaspers just played their final home game of the season – a win against Niagara on April 19th – which they hope will give them momentum into the final three games of the season.
Manhattan has been eliminated from conference tournament contention. The Jaspers will lose five players after the season ends: Maria Toscano, Clare Kerrisk, Brianna Rickert and co-captains Kelsey Rehain and Carly Eskenazi.
“It’s been great having our teammates all four years,” Rehain said. “It’s been a tough four years. We’ve had about nine to 11 coaches come in and out. Through the periods we don’t have coaches, that’s when the leaders have to step up and guide the team.”
Head coach Elizabeth Weber is almost through her first season at Manhattan. Along with a new head coach comes a new coaching system and that is not something to get used to overnight. This season has been one of learning and reconstruction.
“Though our record didn’t show how hard we tried all season and the improvements we’ve made on and off the field, we’ve come a long way,” sophomore Casey Silvestri said. “We worked hard, but we didn’t get the exact results that we wanted.”
“This year has been a rebuilding year,” said sophomore Megan Yarusso. “I think that next year we will be able to prove to everyone through our record that we are improving and we are ready to win.”
Despite their MAAC record, the team has had strong progress. This season, they have competed with teams that they’d lose by 10 goals or more in the previous seasons. They’ve had close games brought into overtime, sometimes even double overtime, and have goal deficits of five or less.
“We do have our ups and downs but we learn from each mistake, and we try not to take a step backwards,” Yarusso said.
Manhattan has some team goals for the rest of the season and one of them is getting a win in the MAAC. After winning on senior night, the team accomplished of its goals and said gave the seniors a pleasant good-bye.
“You’re never going to have an experience like Gaelic,” Rehain said. “There’s nothing like it. We have a little community here and it’s going to be hard to leave.”