RIVERDALE, N.Y. – For the second straight game, the Manhattan College men's lacrosse team faced a virtual must-win. For the second straight game, the contest went down to the wire. This time, however, the Jaspers (8-7, 4-3 MAAC) earned the needed victory, as Joe Variano's (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y.) goal with 51 seconds remaining proved to be the difference in a 5-4 triumph over Providence (6-8, 5-2 MAAC) at Gaelic Park on Wednesday. With the win, the Jaspers kept alive their hopes of qualifying for the four-team Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) tournament.

Manhattan scored the first goal of the game when Brett Miranda (Ossining, N.Y.) connected with Mike Llewellyn (Brookhaven, N.Y.) at the 11:09 mark of the first quarter. Providence tied the game on an unassisted tally by Evan Helda less than a minute later. A tight, defensive battle broke out from there, as both teams went scoreless for nearly 20 minutes.

James Synowiez (Owego, N.Y.) broke the deadlock with a goal at the 5:46 mark of the second quarter. Synowiez made it 3-1 when he found himself in the right place at the right time, corralling the ground ball after a Providence turnover and scoring into a wide open net. The Jaspers outshot the Friars 11-2 in the second quarter and took the 3-1 lead into the halftime break.

Providence held the Jaspers scoreless for the next 24:25 of action, allowing the Friars to take a 4-3 lead. Colin Tigh broke Providence's scoring drought with a man-up tally at the 7:22 mark of the third quarter, then Bobby Labadini tied the game when he connected off a feed from Tigh with 2:17 remaining in the quarter. The Friars took their first lead of the game when Danny Ryan notched an unassisted goal 3:25 into the fourth quarter.

The top defensive team in the MAAC, Providence tried to slow the game down even more and nurse its one-goal advantage. However, the Jaspers tied the contest on a goal by Sal Perrotto (Garnerville, N.Y.) 2:15 later. Both teams entered a defensive mode from there, and it looked like Manhattan might be headed to overtime for the second straight game until Variano scored the go-ahead tally on a beautiful wrap-around with 51 seconds left.

Providence won the faceoff after Variano's goal and took timeout with 41 seconds remaining. Jake Nolan then fired a shot wide, and Manhattan gained possession when the ball went out of bounds. Manhattan cleared, then took timeout with 15 seconds remaining. With possession in their offensive end, the Jaspers just held it until the final whistle and secured the 5-4 victory.

The win snapped Manhattan's nine-game losing streak against Providence, and it came in the final meeting between the teams before the Friars leave the MAAC for the newly-formed Big East next season.

Synowiez had two goals to increase his MAAC-leading total to 37 on the season. Synowiez also collected a game-high six ground balls. Playing in his final game at Gaelic Park, Angelo Marrano (Rockville Centre, N.Y.) added four ground balls. Despite shots being an even 26-26, the Jaspers held a 16-9 advantage in shots on goal. John Geagan (Seaford, N.Y.) (6-7) made five saves in his final home game as a Jasper.

Tigh led the Providence offense with a goal and an assist. John Tunney collected a team-high four ground balls, as the Friars held a 33-30 advantage on the ground. Tunney also caused three Manhattan turnovers. Providence won 10 of the 13 faceoffs in the game, with Mike Bowler going 9-2 in the faceoff circle. Robert Bryan (5-8), the MAAC leader in goals against average and save percentage, stopped 11 Manhattan shots.

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2009-04-22