KINGS POINT, N.Y. – The Manhattanville University women's soccer team concluded the 2024 season on Saturday afternoon, falling to third-seeded USMMA in the opening round of the Skyline Conference Championship Tournament. With the 3-1 loss, the sixth-seeded Valiants close the book on the year with a final record of 6-7-4 on the season.
Two Mariner goals in the opening three minutes put Manhattanville behind the eight ball for the remainder of the day. Leading the team offensively all season long, Natalie Colpoys and Alexx Forman fittingly scored the opening tallies for USMMA. Colpoys struck 1:44 into the action, finding the ball on her foot after a header from a Manhattanville defender caromed right out to her and burying the shot into the lower right corner. Just 62 seconds later, the Mariners doubled the advantage as Forman collected her own rebound after
Alexandra Brauer (Lake Grove, N.Y./St. John The Baptist Diocesan) notched a team save by blocking the initial shot in an open net. Forman headed the deflection into the cage, putting the home side ahead by a pair before everyone had settled into their seats at Bartoszek Field.
While the Valiants never fully recovered from the early left-right, the team settled in nicely over the remaining 87 minutes. The Mariners outshot Manhattanville 20-10, but the shots on goal were much closer, with USMMA logging nine to seven from the Valiants. The guests sliced the deficit in half in the 21
st minute.
Mia Castaneda (Mamaroneck, N.Y./Mamaroneck) fired a free kick on net that was saved by Margaret Ripperger and pinged off the crossbar, allowing
Megan Leser (Ossining, N.Y./Ossining) to clean up in front of the cage with a tap in for her third goal of the season and Castaneda's team-leading 27
th point on her third assist.
Both teams logged one more shot on net before the half drew to a close, with
Jenna Moraglia's (Seaford, N.Y./Seaford) attempt in the 35
th minute being denied by Ripperger and
Macey Girard (Branford, Conn./Branford) turning away Emma Cox in the 37
th.
Action subsided for the first 18 minutes of the second half before Castaneda fired a shot that was denied by Ripperger in the 63
rd minute. Castaneda was turned away again in her bid to even up the game in the 74
th minute as Ripperger showed why she was the Skyline's All-Conference First Team keeper with a 0.37 goals-against average entering the tournament. Girard was able to turn away the first two shots on net she faced in the half from Marina Ronzoni and Ainsley Carlon in the 76
th and 81
st minutes before
Drita Tinaj (Yorktown Heights, N.Y./Yorktown) got a look for the Valiants in the 83
rd, once again with Ripperger standing tall.
As time waned down, the Mariners netted an insurance goal with 1:16 remaining in regulation. Lauren Enterline fired a shot that Girard stopped, but the rebound came out to Lucy Thomas who found Carlon to place it into the lower left of the netting and punch the Mariners' ticket into the semifinals against No. 2 Farmingdale on Wednesday night.
Girard finished with five saves, ending her junior year with a final statline of a 6-7-4 record with 56 saves and a 1.31 goals-against average.
Castaneda accounted for four of the Valiants' 10 total shot attempts. Tinaj was the only other Manhattanville player to finish with multiple shots in the effort.
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