RIVERDALE, N.Y. – Top seed Manhattan will meet No. 4 seed Siena on Thursday at 7 p.m. in the semifinals of the MAAC Championship at Gaelic Park.
The Jaspers and Siena will air on ESPN+, with the winner meeting either No. 2 seed Mount St. Mary's or No. 3 Marist in the championship game on Saturday at 11 a.m. The championship game will air on ESPNU nationally.
Tickets must be purchased for the semifinals and championship before arriving at Gaelic Park on Thursday and Saturday. Fans are to park in the parking garage on Manhattan College Parkway, and there will also be refreshments on site this weekend too.
Siena beat Sacred Heart in the first round of the MAAC Championship last weekend. The Saints are 8-6 and have won three in a row. The streak started with a 10-6 triumph over Manhattan. Ryan McCarthy is the leading scorer for the Saints with 44 points. Christian Watts is the top goal scorer with 31. Four Saints were named All-MAAC.
Thursday's meeting with Siena will be the first in postseason play between Manhattan and Siena since the 2009 championship game.
Manhattan is seeking a second straight MAAC Championship. If the Jaspers win the MAAC Championship, they would be the first back-to-back MAAC Champions since Providence in 2007 and 2008.
The Jaspers received votes in this week's Inside Lacrosse media poll. It is the third time this season that Manhattan has received votes in the media poll.
The last time out for the Jaspers was a 6-2 win at Wagner in the regular season finale. The two goals allowed matched a program record for the fewest allowed in a single game. The Jaspers led 3-0 at halftime. Wagner did not get on the board until 6:04 remained in the third quarter.
Kelly DuPree and
Liam Walshe scored twice.
Head coach
John Odierna was named MAAC Coach of the Year after leading the Jaspers to a share of the MAAC regular season title. The first-year head coach led Manhattan to a 10-4 record overall. The 10 wins are one off the single-season program record.
Kyle Gucwa,
Christian Clifford, and
Joseph Persico were named First Team All-MAAC.
Tadhg O'Riordan earned second-team honors, and
Liam Peabody was named to the All-Rookie Team.
Gucwa passed 100 career points earlier this season. Walshe also reached that milestone with his three points against Wagner in the regular season finale.
Persico leads the MAAC and Division I in goals against average (7.79). The graduate student also leads the MAAC in save percentage (.582). As a team, the Jaspers are the stingiest defense in the country, allowing 7.79 goals per game.
For the latest on the Manhattan College men's lacrosse program, follow the Jaspers on Twitter @ManhattanMLAX and Instagram @Manhattan_Lacrosse.
