BUFFALO, NY —The Manhattan women's lacrosse team churned out 14 goals on Saturday at Canisius, which included a late fourth-quarter push that closed the Jaspers' deficit to two before the Golden Griffins hung on for a 17-14 win. Olivia Cruthers made the most of her final game in a Jasper uniform, eclipsing the 100-point mark for her career with a performance of four goals and three assists in the loss.
HOW IT HAPPENED
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Canisius delivered the opening salvo, with two early goals at the 10:26 and 9:12 marks of the first quarter to take a 2-0 advantage.
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Manhattan settled in nicely from there and scored the next five goals to swipe the lead. Lauren Maher added the opening goal for the Jaspers, which was followed by a pair of goals from Olivia Cruthers.
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Already ahead 3-2, Manhattan tacked on two more courtesy of Ava Fernandes and Emily Fiola, who both were playing in their final game for the Jaspers.
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The first quarter would feature another goal apiece for each team, with senior Ashley Bonitch getting on the scoresheet with 17 seconds left to extend the Jaspers' lead to 6-3.
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Canisius would tie the game in quick order on three early goals in the second quarter, forcing Manhattan to regroup quickly.
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Bonitch answered with another goal, this time assisted by Cruthers, which regained a 7-6 lead for the Jaspers with 8:23 still left on the clock.
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Led by the efforts of Maddie Fitzgerald, Canisius finished the second quarter on a strong note. Her goal at 7:49 brought the score level at seven. Even though Manhattan would go back ahead on Fiola's second goal of the game, the Golden Griffins ended the quarter on a 4-0 scoring run to enter halftime leading 11-8.
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Fitzgerald tallied three of those final four goals to secure the Golden Griffins' largest lead of the day to that point.
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Canisius' lead grew to five early in the third quarter at 13-8, but Manhattan refused to go away quietly. The Jaspers registered three more goals in the third quarter, with one each from Brooke Leonard, Cruthers and Julia Kerr. However, Canisius added three more during that span to take a five-goal cushion into the fourth quarter.
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Juliana Mahan led the Jaspers' fourth-quarter push with a pair of goals that cut the Golden Griffins' lead down to three. Then, Cruthers' fourth of the day made it a 16-14 game with 6:21 left, officially giving the Jaspers new life late.
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However, the scoring would be capped by Canisius' Brooke Hippert moments later which clinched the victory for the Golden Griffins.
STATS AND NOTES
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With her eight-point day, Olivia Cruthers soared into the prestigious 100-point club in program history.
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Cruthers caps her four-year Manhattan career with 104 points.
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12 of Manhattan's 14 goals in Saturday's season finale were scored by either a senior or freshman, signaling a notable changing of the guard for the program going forward.
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Ashley Bonitch concludes her Jasper career with 43 goals after adding two more to her name on Saturday. The Long Island native also departs with 13 assists.
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Emily Fiola served a crucial role for the Jaspers in 2025, finishing with 50 ground balls, 45 draw controls and 15 goals.
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By adding two more on Saturday, Fiola's 15 goals triples her 2024 output (5).
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Tasked with taking draw controls in a substitution pattern with classmate Emily Derrico, Fiola had earned four draw controls in her first three seasons before exploding for 45 in 2025.
NEXT UP
The Jaspers' attention turns to 2026 after having played its final game of the campaign on Saturday at Canisius. Manhattan finishes 2025 with an overall record of 2-14 with a 1-7 mark in conference play.
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