Women’s Soccer Falls 5-2 to Siena in MAAC Championship

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Manhattan made it to the MAAC Championship for the first time in school history. They had a season of broken records and high-ranked players, both in the league and nationally. In a game to represent the league in the NCAA tournament, however, it was the underdog that came out on top.

After earning the second seed and a first-round bye, Manhattan played fourth-seeded Rider on Friday night in the MAAC Semifinals. Lizzy Carlson notched two goals for the Jaspers and Modena sealed the win with a goal to make it a 3-1 final. Skonieczny had a career-high 15 saves in the game.

Going into the MAAC Championship, Manhattan looked for the win in their first appearance to the finals. Sixth-seeded Siena had previously won the championship in 2010. Manhattan had a lot in their favor, but Siena was on a roll after knocking out the 1st and 3rd seeds Monmouth and Marist to get to the finals.

Siena scored in the opening minute of the game on a shot from Allison Clark. Seven minutes later, Siena notched another goal by Kristen Connors and took a surprising 2-0 lead over Manhattan, who has been known for their defense all season.

“They took advantage of opportunities that we gave them,” Brendan Lawler, Manhattan head coach, said in a halftime interview with ESPN3. “We have to score goals. We know what we have to do. The objective is simple.”

Most of the first half was spent with Siena on offense. They followed in the 20th minute with their third goal of the game by Madison Vazquez, making it a 3-0 lead for Siena. Manhattan’s defense struggled early and throughout, as Manhattan’s back line could not control the game and goalkeeper Kristen Skonieczny allowed three goals on three shots.

Erica Modena, who led the game with 5 shots, notched Manhattan’s first goal of the game with help from Lauren Barton in the 29th minute. The offense picked up in the last few minutes of the first half, but the score remained 3-1 into halftime.

Momentum did not last long on Manhattan’s side as Siena found the back of the net once again on a shot from Kensey Waterman about three minutes into the second half. It remained 4-1 until Connors scored again for Siena in the 73rd minute of the game and Manhattan’s Emily Center soon followed with a goal in the 76th minute. There was back and forth play until the clock winded down and Siena took the 5-2 victory to the tournament.

Despite the loss, Manhattan had a season for the record books. Head coach Brendan Lawler was voted the Lids Team Sports MAAC Coach of the Year. Skonieczny was named Goalkeeper of the Year. Jenny Bitzer earned Defensive Player of the Year. Modena and Nicole Copping earned spots on the All-MAAC First Team and Copping also got All-Rookie honors.

Skonieczny notched a program-record 10 wins and nine shutouts this season, which was the best in the MAAC. She holds the school career records for wins and shutouts, 24 and 17. She led the MAAC and ranks fourth nationally with a .920 save percentage. She is fifth in the NCAA with a .43 GAA, with just four goals allowed against MAAC opponents.

Modena was another key player for the Jaspers this season. She notched her team-leading 12th goal of the season in the semifinal matchup against Rider. She ranked second in the MAAC and 41st nationally with her 12 goals, which are the most by a Manhattan player since Laurie Spera scored 14 in her freshman season in 1998. Modena also ranked second in the league and 89th nationally with her 26 assists on the season.

Finishing up this year’s awards, it was announced after the game that Skonieczny, Modena and Taylor Salkowsky were named to the MAAC All-Tournament Team.

Oh Maya: Senior’s Key Goals Sends Bronx Science Back to Final

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Maya Greenfield saw her high school career ticking to a close and refused to go down without a fight.

The Bronx Science senior was able distance herself from the Francis Lewis defense in the games final minutes. A wide open Greenfield scored from left field to send the game to overtime before quickly tallying the winner in No. 3-seeded Bronx Science’s improbable 4-3 victory over No. 7 Francis Lewis in the PSAL Class A girls’ soccer semifinals on Randall’s Island Tuesday.

“I was biting my tongue,” Greenfield said as she looked back at scoring her goal. “I was really emotional before because I’m a senior; it would have been my last few minutes. I honestly wanted to take my team there. I looked at my girls and I really wanted to do it for them.”

Greenfield had two goals and two assists and four shots on goal in the game. She has scored six times his post season, but none were bigger than her two against Lewis.

“She came through when we needed her,” Annie Eckstein, Bronx Science head coach, said. “She’s been doing that for us all season. She’s great when she beats people around the corner. She feeds balls in and finishes when we need her to.”

Lewis (14-2-0) opened the scoring on a goal by sophomore Jacklyn Lada. Bronx Science answered when Meleni Rahaman scored off of an assist from Greenfield. Play went back and forth for most of the first half until Rahaman found the back of the net once again to give the Wolverines (14-3-0) a 2-1 lead at halftime.

Samantha Margolis scored in the 58th minute to draw Lewis even at 2-2. Her second goal of the game with a assist from Lada and Melanie Feliz gave the Patriots 3-2 lead in the 68th minute.

“I think we had a little bit of a let down,” Eckstein said. “When they scored to go ahead, it was a great test for us. It wasn’t really one I wanted to have at this point but it was good to see that they stayed with each other.”

It is the second straight year the Wolverines beat Lewis in the semifinals

Bronx Science, which last won the crown in 2012, advances to its four straight championship games to face rival and two-time defending champions Beacon on 3 p.m. Sunday at St. John’s University.

In preparation for the final, the Wolverines are going to look at its last few meeting with the Blue Demons, including two regular season defeats. Greenfield noted how they struggled with finishing. Eckstein said that the team is going to also talk about their last four post season games and focus on key aspects from those.

“I know that we give it our all every practice so we are just going to keep doing what we’re doing,” Greenfield said.

This article originally appeared in the Bronx Times. 

Shepherds of the Manhattan College Brand: MC Partners with Learfield Sports

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Courtesy of Learfield Sports

Serve each other. Recognize it as “we” not “I.” Dream big and chase dreams. Celebrate successes that lead to learning and growth. Celebrate mistakes that lead to learning and growth.

These are all values and mission statements on Learfield Sports’ website. It works well with Manhattan College’s mission statement to prepare students for the future and lives of personal development, professional success and civic engagement.

After months of discussions, Manhattan has partnered with the Learfield Sports Multimedia Company. It named Nicholas Williams the general manager of the Jasper Sports Properties team.

“We are very excited,” Nino Vanin, Learfield regional director, said. “We have a nice presence in the New York/ New Jersey area with our Fordham and Seton Hall partnerships. Manhattan’s property and opportunity provides a real win-win. There is a lot of value in brands, faculty, students and fans.”

Vanin noted the size difference between Fordham and Manhattan’s campuses and student bodies but he stated that Manhattan would be treated just the same.

A native of New Jersey, Williams worked with the New York Red Bulls organization for three seasons serving as a sales account executive. He led in most premium seats sold and revenue for three seasons, bringing great corporate and sales experience to Manhattan.

“That experience will help me flourish at Manhattan,” Williams said of his time with the Red Bulls.

As general manager of Jaspers Sports Properties, Williams will lead all aspects of the rights relationship. He will provide corporate partners with both traditional and new media opportunities for Manhattan. This could be through certain inventories such as event sponsorships and promotions, venue signage, corporate hospitality, television and radio, digital engagement and visibility through the Go Jaspers official athletics website.

“Nick has great experience in the New York market,” Vanin said, “so that was attractive to us. He was selling to a corporate community.”

On the official Learfield Sports website, Jasper Sports Properties is described as Learfield’s local and dedicated entity representing Manhattan. It states that with complete collaboration with the college, it is “committed to extending the affinity of the Jaspers’ brand to businesses and corporations of all sizes looking to align with the undeniably loyal and passionate collegiate fan base.”

The partnership gives Learfield exclusive rights to all multimedia aspects of the college athletics. It’s partnered with almost 120 colleges across the country, ones with huge sports programs such as The University of Alabama and Penn State. At Manhattan, it has rights to all athletics and an opportunity to sell to all the 19 varsity teams. Vanin said it was set as a long-term partnership but a year amount was not disclosed.

“Our goals are to drive revenue for athletics through the program,” Vanin said, “and to be shepherds of the Manhattan College brand. Our mission is always the same, to provide a service to the athletic department and provide opportunities for companies.”

Studying Abroad… And Returning Home

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Most Manhattan College students call Riverdale their home during the school year. These three Jaspers, however, embraced a change of scenery and traveled to foreign countries during their college career.

As a college student, arguably one of the best things you could do is study abroad. It is a great way to learn how to be independent even more than simply being at college away from home and your family. Manhattan College has a large study abroad program that offers semesters in various cities such as Madrid, Spain, Buenos Aires, Argentina and Florence, Italy.

“College gives you a unique opportunity to travel away and still have the protection of a home school back in the states,” junior Elizabeth O’Connor said, who spent last semester abroad in Dublin, Ireland. “I was able to be five time zones away from my parents, financially supporting myself and making adult decisions for myself.”

“Everyone should study abroad,” senior English major Sera Pisani said, who studied in Barcelona, Spain during her fall semester of her junior year. “It should be required for everyone to study abroad.”

Staying in the neighborhood of Gracia, Pisani was right outside the center of Barcelona. Tiny restaurants and cafés lined the streets of the neighborhood and the yellow line of the metro gave her close accessibility to travel elsewhere.

“My experience was really amazing,” Pisani said, “because it was something we were able to experience individually. We weren’t thrown into a program. We were able to figure it all out on our own and it contributed to our growing experience that is studying abroad.”

Senior art history and English major Matt Coyne spent a semester in Buenos Aires, Argentina. This was his second study abroad trip, previously visiting Florence, Italy. Both of these trips gave him insight on what it is like to see America from a different perspective.

“I became acutely aware of the way Americans are viewed in other countries,” Coyne said. “I got the European view on Americans and then it was fascinating to get the Latin American view as well.”

(Photo Courtesy of Elizabeth O'Connor)

O’Connor went back to her Irish heritage and chose Dublin to see the places that her ancestors used to call home. Comparing the two cultures, O’Connor said that Ireland is much more relaxed than America.

“No one seems to care about what you’re doing,” she said, “whether it be your weekend plans for exploring or how you are going in class. It is so much less judgmental as well. The Irish love their banter, so a sassy wit and acceptance of that will get you far.”

As for Barcelona, the culture is much more family and friend oriented than America, according to Pisani. Buenos Aires is quite similar to this, with a strong focus on social gatherings.

“Catalan culture is very gregarious,” she said. “It is very oriented around a community, nothing like New York.”

“It is extremely social,” he said. “Everything is based on social gatherings and people talk to you in the streets. It’s kind of the opposite of the closed-off New York. Argentineans will hug and kiss and stop you for hours at a time.”

Pisani decided to choose Barcelona for its location by the Mediterranean Sea and for the city’s known architecture as some of the best in the world.

“I learned how to put myself out there and meet new people. I became able to find things in common with people who come from completely different cultures, which was probably my favorite part.”

Coyne wanted to study in Buenos Aires because he was familiar with the city from a previous trip in high school and he has friends there. His grandfather lived in Argentina for six years before coming to America.

The main problem with studying abroad, however, is the transition back to America. While the trip to a foreign country is hard at first, it is not easy when it is time to come home.

Along with this, there are some things to readjust to, such as driving on the right side of the road or even certain spellings for O’Connor. Coyne used the word depressing to describe transitional back to America and said he had to get used to speaking English again after speaking Spanish during the trip.

“There was a culture shock going there and a culture shock coming back,” Pisani said. “I think you have the post-abroad depression. It was nice to be home though, coming back to that familiarity. Even every day since, I have this longing to go back to that feeling of being completely independent and seeing so much of the world.”

Freshman Call-Up Nets Winner for Riverdale

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The call up stepped up.

Freshman Julian Burden scored the winner in the 75th minute to give Riverdale a 2-1 home win over Poly Prep in Ivy League boy’s soccer last Friday. He was added to varsity from the JV team just that day.

“It felt great,” he said. “It was a hard game and it felt awesome to score that.”

Riverdale, the defending NYSAISAA champion, opened the game with some strong offensive chances. Two minutes in, sophomore Drew Dworkin scored to give the Falcons a 1–0 lead. Poly Prep, one of the Ivy League’s top programs, then saw a corner kick blocked by Riverdale senior defender Edward Hermann.

It was a back and forth game after that. Poly got a big save from goalkeeper Michael Wirtz on a shot by Dworkin in the 27th minute to help keep the Falcons up just 1-0 at the half.

Early after the break, Poly had a chance to tie it on a corner kick, but Jack Hurkman’s shot went high. The Blue Devils (2-1) finally broke through with a Ben Miles goal with about eight minutes left in the game. Riverdale quickly responded with Burden’s winning goal.

Riverdale (2-0) is coming off of a championship season and head coach Andrew Fitzgerald wants his team to stay healthy and respectful as they try to win consecutive crowns.

“We know what we did last year,” he said. “Obviously we can’t repeat that, but we have a lot of mature student athletes on our team. We not only would want to be the best team in the league but we want to be the most respected, that was one of our goals.”

After losing key seniors from last year’s squad, Riverdale is rebuilding the roster around a core group of eight returning starters. It helped to have 70 players try out for the team.

“I expect guys to step up and fill in, but bring up the young guys at the same time,” Fitzgerald said. “We are still trying to figure out who we have.”

The Falcons added 10 players with half of them being freshmen. They are also preparing for the future, knowing that they are going to lose a lot of seniors after this season. One freshman paid big dividends against Poly.

“Our JV team is strong,” Fitzgerald said. “We were able to bring up a striker and he scored the game winner. It’s pretty unheard of.”

This article originally appeared in the Bronx Times. 

Covington, Defense Lead Hayes to First CHSFL Win

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On a day when running back Justin Covington and the Cardinal Hayes offense shined throughout the game, the defense needed to finish the job.

The unit ended Monsignor Farrell’s comeback attempt when Lucas Nunez intercepted a Hail Mary pass with 13 seconds to play at the Hayes 15-yard line. It secured a 20-14 Cardinals win over the Lions in CHSFL play last Saturday afternoon at The Rooftop.

“Any win is a good win,” Hayes head coach CJ O’Neil said. “We would have liked to play a lot better, a lot cleaner. Sometimes emotion gets the best of us like it did today. We were in a tough fight with a very good football team. We pulled it out in the end.”

The guy who put his team in position to win was running back Justin Covington. In the opening minute of the game, he caught a 58-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Christian Anderson.

It was the start of a three-touchdown game for the senior who rushed for 172 yards on 10 carries. Covington scored again early in the second quarter as he ran 82 yards to the end zone to give Hayes 14-0 lead.

“It was good blocking by the offensive line,” Covington said. “Once I got the ball, they let me take off.”

Two Cardinal turnovers allowed Farrell to hang around in the game. The teams also exchanged interceptions and turnovers throughout. Another issue for the Cardinals was penalties. O’Neill said the team needs to stay focused no matter what happens.

“Our problem is sometimes we have to compete with ourselves,” he said. “When we compete with ourselves, that’s sometimes our hardest opponent. Hopefully we grow and get better from this.”

On their first possession of the second half, Farrell quarterback Michael Cloppse notched a 2-yard run into the end zone to make it 14-7. Hayes (2-0, 1-0) responded about a minute later with Covington scoring his third touchdown of the game on a 70-yard run to make it 20-7 with 7:13 to go in the third.

Farrell (1-1, 0-1) kept coming. A wide-open Joe Schmidt caught a 10-yard touchdown pass from Cloppse to bring Farrell within 20-14 with 8:12 remained in the game. The Hayes defense responded by creating three turnovers in the final 3:00.

“Defense played great,” Covington said. “They shut them down to 14 points. They gave us the ball back and let us score. They played great.”

Defensive lineman Terrell Alexander got in the middle of a pass from Cloppse and intercepted it with 3:12 left in the game and defensive back Shameen Jones caught another critical turnover in the game before Nunez’s pick to seal it.

“Hands down, those guys made some exceptional individual efforts,” O’Neill said. “That saved us more than anything.”

This article originally appeared in the Bronx Times. 

Reloading Riverdale Adapting to New Roles

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Defending Ivy League champion Riverdale knows there will be growing pains as it reloads after graduating a senior class that reached consecutive state title games.

The Falcons fell 3-0 to Dalton in its Ivy League girls’ soccer opener last Friday on Randall’s Island.

“It’s always tough to start out like this,” first-half goalie Gabrielle Maffezzoli said. “I told my team that we just need to keep in mind that this is the first game. We have a whole season to go.

Most of the first half was spent in Riverdale’s zone. The Falcons gave up a corner kick and three shots, with one resulting in a goal, but they were able to notch three shots of their own as well.

Reiterating that it was just the first game, Leah Moore, who was in goal for the second half, said that this year’s group is starting to come together.

“We are trying to work out being a new team and I think we are well on our way,” she said.

Dalton made it a 2-0 early in the second half with a goal on a breakaway after Riverdale turned aside it two previous attempts.

Riverdale played most of the second half without one of its top returning players – midfielder Julia Hyman. She left the game early in the half and did not go back in.

The Falcons continued to fight back with Maya Dubin, Molly Fallek and Natasha Lowitt leading the way. It wasn’t enough as Dalton sealed the win with a late goal. However, Riverdale refuses to be discouraged.

“With time, we are going to keep learning how to play better with each other,” Maffezzoli said. “We are taking it one game at a time and we keep fighting.”

Despite the loss, head coach Orlando Osorio saw some important positives to take from the game. There were certain areas where the team was connecting. He emphasized that there were spots of great decision-making and passing. One aspect that he said does need work is their transition on offense from the midfield to the forwards.

The Tigers’ defense was tough to get past for most of the game. They won many battles getting to the ball first and caused the Falcons to play defense for a majority of the game. However, playing a team at Dalton’s level will only help the Falcons prepare for the rest of the season.

“Dalton has some very strong, very physical players,” Osorio said. “They have a very fast player up front that stretches our defense a lot. They have a marvelous player in the middle that is a huge force. It demands us to run faster, anticipate more and even become more physical.”

Riverdale is coming off of an impressive season last year. It went 17-2-1 and lost on penalty kicks in the NYSAIS final. They lost a core group of seniors, including forward Amaris Hemmings and goalie Jennifer Kronish and are still adjusting to life without them.

“We don’t have the same depth that we had last year,” Osorio said. “But our goal is to have a winning season nonetheless and to be one of the top teams in the Ivy.”

This article originally appeared in the Bronx Times. 

Amy Bright Leading the Jaspers in Her Final Season

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“’Attitudes are contagious.’ One person with a bad attitude can ruin a lot. It’s a strong reminder to always stay positive and always be a good teammate and player.”

Senior starting pitcher Amy Bright was asked about the best advice she has ever been given. Bright has this mindset before going into every game and it helps her succeed on the mound.

“Amy is awesome,” assistant coach Bridget Hurlman said. “She definitely always wants the ball. She’s our number one. She definitely owns that mound and we are lucky to have her.”

Two MAAC All Academic Team selections and three MAAC Pitcher of the Week awards are just some of Bright’s accomplishments at Manhattan and in softball altogether. She has been posting great numbers over the years and this season as well, including a 2.68 ERA and 14-7 record. Now preparing for the playoffs for the last time, she looked back at her four years on the team.

“MAACs last year were definitely the best,” Bright said about her favorite memory. “We came in and we were 6th place. We won three games in a row. It was so awesome. It was definitely the coolest thing.”

Back to back shutouts and a streak of 15 scoreless innings. This is just one highlight from Bright’s career at Manhattan. This happened on a trip to California earlier this season in March where the team played opponents including Brown and UC Santa Barbara. Despite their 2-4 record out there, Manhattan had some important competition to get prepared for MAAC play and Bright led the team to an overall successful trip, earning her second Pitcher of the Week title.

“The pitchers of the week awards are really awesome,” Bright said. “It’s great to be recognized and having two of them this season was really cool.” I don’t really think about it while I’m playing. It was really fun to be out there. When I finished that second game and still hadn’t given up a run, I realized what I had done and it was really cool.”

“Amy has done an amazing job of really putting this team on her shoulders,” catcher Elena Bowman said. “She comes out every start with the same fire and the same intensity. It’s going to be a big loss for us. We are really going to miss not only her physical presence but especially her emotional presence and the way she leads us.”

Bright began playing softball at the age of 8. While she played other sports as well growing up, her focus became softball. She said that one person who has influenced her as a player over the years is her pitching coach growing up. He was her pitching coach from when she first started playing through the years until she went off to college. Seeing him two or three times a week for practice or games, he became a big influence on Bright as a person and a player.

“He taught me a lot about the game, the physical and mental stuff,” Bright said.

Every team and every player improve and develop each time they step on to the field or court. By the time someone gets to their senior season, they are able to look back on their time as a player, noticing their strengths and weaknesses and how they have improved over the years. One of Bright’s improvements has become noticeable as she took her position as starting pitcher and one of the leaders of the team.

“I used to get rattled very easily,” Bright said. “I did not keep my composure when I was a freshman and even younger. As I’ve grown and worked with Bridget and Elena and my team, I have so much more confidence in the team. I am able to stay focused on the mound and stay positive. That has been a huge change. From freshman to senior year, that has definitely been the biggest change.”

Something that is crucial to a successful softball team is the relationship between the pitcher and catcher. They need to have strong communication and to be able to understand each other in order to win the game. Despite being completely different positions with different responsibilities, these two players need to be on the same page and have the same game plan. This has been a key to Bright’s success and the team’s success so far this season.

“We work really well together,” Bowman said. “One thing we really pride ourselves on is always being on the same page. We work a lot in bullpens and spend a lot of time together to make sure that we are always going with the same approach at batters. I would say as far as that relationship goes, we are close because we work together so often and so well together.”

“Each game is different,” Bright said, “the teams are different. Elena and I talk before the games. We always have a game plan and talk about specific people. We’ve seen these people multiple times, so we know what we are going to do. Mentally, when you go in, it is nice to know when you are starting and you can get that game plan.”

With the regular season coming to a close, the Jaspers are preparing for the upcoming MAAC tournament and now is the time to shine. After making it last season for the first time since 2011, Manhattan has goals set for this season and so does Bright. Along with the three other seniors on the team, Bright is making the most of her final games as a Jasper.

“Her senior season is important to her,” Coach Hurlman said. “She’s trying to put her best foot out there for her team and do her job in the circle.”

The team stands at 25-16 overall and 13-5 in the MAACs. They are tied for first place in the conference and the team is prepared to achieve their goals going into the tournament because, for some, it is their final opportunity.

“As a senior, it’s the last chance,” Bright said. “I came into this season knowing I had nothing to lose and that this was it. The four of us have put everything into this season. If we are going to win, this is going to be the year. You go into every game knowing that.”

Women’s Lacrosse Finishes Season with Win on Senior Day

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On their final game of the season, the Jaspers honored their seniors in a great fashion by earning a 9-8 victory over Marist. Despite their 1-7 record in conference play, it was an important moment for them to hand Marist a loss before the Red Foxes go into the MAAC tournament.

“We struggled a lot this season,” Donna Jo DiNorcia said. “So to pull it all together defensively and offensively was a big thing, especially for the seniors. We proved to the coaches that we really could play with a good team.”

The Jaspers honored seniors Domenica O’Brey, Carly Cappello, DiNorcia, Kaleigh Howe and co-captains Christina Fiorinelli and Caitlin Hynes before their game Wednesday April 22. In net, Fiorinelli had a team-best 60 ground balls and DiNorcia had an impressive game after returning from an injury. She helped lead the Jaspers’ scoring with a hat trick.

“Coming off of an injury, I didn’t even expect to be on the field that long,” DiNorcia said. “Putting in the first goal was enough for me. It was just a great way to go out.”

Even though the team did not have a winning record this season, they have improved greatly over the last few years and they look toward the future to get even better. Junior co-captain Megan Yarusso said that winning on senior day was the team’s best achievement this season.

Still, They have strong numbers to be proud of this season. Yarusso led the team in goals and points with 34 and 45 respectively. Junior co-captain Kaitlyn Cunningham had a team-high 12 assists and seven players finished in double digits in scoring.

“Ending on a high note showed us and the coaches that we are good,” Yarusso said. “It showed that we could hang with or even beat good teams. Finally coming together as a whole was the cherry on top this season.”

Both DiNorcia and Yarusso said that the last few years on the team have been a growing experience and a learning process. After some coaching changes over the past few years, they have found who can help the team reach their goals. Head coach Elizabeth Weber and assistant coach Amanda Trendell have been improving the program in great ways.

“In previous years, we were getting blown out by mediocre teams,” Yarusso said. “This year, we were losing to really good teams by one or two goals.”

A new style of defense has been the key to the Jaspers’ change. Coach Trendell was an impressive player at Rutgers, winning the Midfielder of the Year Award in 2013 as well as being a member of the team when they ranked sixth nationally in defense.

“Our coaches now are really going to take the program in the right direction,” DiNorcia said. “I believe that the seniors helped pave the way for that. We’ve come a long way.”

As DiNorcia finishes her time as a Jasper, she hopes to see the team improve to a winning record in the future. She said that there are different people who can work together and have a connection, which will help the team be successful.

“This whole year was a learning process,” Yarusso said. “Getting that connection should start in the fall. With the incoming class, we should start building that relationship with everyone on the team.

Tennis Honors Seniors Bricketto and Rosello

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Before their April 13th matchup against Monmouth, the Jaspers honored seniors Caitlin Bricketto and Alyssa Rosello. Both players went on to earn wins in their single matches. They notched Manhattan’s two points in their 5-2 loss to the Hawks.

Looking back at the past four years, Rosello and Bricketto recall the obstacles that they have overcome with the team. One major factor is the team’s consistent theme of a small roster. In previous years, the team just hit the average roster size of eight players. However, it has been decreasing each year and in this current season, they only have five active players. Another factor was getting a new coach last season, which helped their program change for the better.

“Getting new coaching was a major change,” Rosello said. “It brought our team to a whole different level.”

Head coach Amanda McEntire is currently in her second year with the team. While the roster size is still a factor in their matches, the team has been improving greatly over the last two years. Last season, their first under Coach McEntire, they placed sixth in the conference and qualified for the playoffs. While this achievement didn’t happen as they had hoped again this season, they continue to be improving together as a team.

“We are together 24/7,” Bricketto said. “We’ve become so strong together as a team. We’ve never really had that before but we have come together and support each other so much this season.”

Rosello added by stressing the fact that the team is always supportive of one another and that they keep positive attitudes.

Another aspect of their team that has been important to these two seniors is their level of play. The program has changed over the years along with them. It has improved to a real division one program, which means workouts, practicing everyday, having a home court and a team trainer.

“We weren’t really a division one program if you look back at our freshman and sophomore years,” Bricketto said. “It is things that normal division one teams do that we were not doing, but now we are. It is 100% a step up in the program.”

One obstacle that the team has overcome in the last few years has been their court access. With no tennis court located on campus, the team would have to always travel to a match or even just for practice. They used to play across the street in Van Cortlandt Park. However, they were not guaranteed courts there.

Now, they travel to Queens and play at the United States Tennis Association Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Or, they go to Horace Mann and use their court. However, they have had only three matches at these locations, which means that they have spent most of their season traveling to other teams’ home courts.

Both Rosello and Bricketto said that they hope for more players to join and that the team can get more home matches in the coming future. Their game at Horace Mann was the first time the team had ever played there. Only having one home game does not bring a lot of support from the school and they wish that will improve for future members of their team.

“I hope that tennis will become more of a sport on campus,” Bricketto said. “The girls who put all their time and effort into it deserve the support.”