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The Manhattan Jaspers are the 18th team in our 2020 men’s college lacrosse schedule preview series and the second team from the MAAC. Manhattan finished 6-8 overall in 2019 and 2-5 in MAAC play. The Jaspers failed to qualify for the MAAC Tournament, but have improved their win-loss record every season since 2015.
Here’s their entire 2020 schedule:
Manhattan’s 2020 Schedule
| Date | Road Team | Home Team | Special Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Road Team | Home Team | Special Notes |
| 2/7 | Manhattan | Navy | First ever meeting |
| 2/15 | VMI | Manhattan | |
| 2/22 | Manhattan | Wagner | |
| 2/29 | Bryant | Manhattan | |
| 3/3 | Manhattan | Hartford | |
| 3/7 | Manhattan | NJIT | |
| 3/14 | Manhattan | Canisius | MAAC |
| 3/17 | Manhattan | Hofstra | First meeting since 2015 |
| 3/21 | Detroit Mercy | Manhattan | MAAC |
| 3/27 | Monmouth | Manhattan | MAAC |
| 4/4 | Manhattan | St. Bonaventure | MAAC |
| 4/11 | Siena | Manhattan | MAAC |
| 4/18 | Manhattan | Marist | MAAC |
| 4/24 | Manhattan | Quinnipiac | MAAC |
Who’s In?
- Navy Midshipmen (2/7)
- Hofstra Pride (3/17)
Who’s Out?
- Lafayette Leopards (13-5 L)
- UMass Lowell River Hawks (8-5 L)
Manhattan’s Opponent’s 2019 Average Win Percentage & RPI
| Avg. overall win pct. | Avg. nonconference win pct. | Avg. conference win pct. | Avg. overall RPI | Avg. nonconference RPI | Avg. conference RPI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg. overall win pct. | Avg. nonconference win pct. | Avg. conference win pct. | Avg. overall RPI | Avg. nonconference RPI | Avg. conference RPI |
| .362 | .269 | .455 | 55.29 | 58.57 | 52 |
Circle These Dates
- 2/15 vs. VMI: After a close first half a year ago, the Jaspers came out of the gate in the third quarter to take a three-goal lead. But the fourth quarter went in favor of the Keydets, who scored five of the final six goals of the game to take the one-goal win.
- 2/22 at Wagner: Another one of Manhattan’s early season one-goal games was a victory over nearby rival Wagner. Despite having the lead for most of the game, the Jaspers allowed the Seahawks to tie the game with 3:41 left to play. But Parker Giarratana’s goal 58 seconds later gave Manhattan the one-goal win. Expect Wagner to improve in Bill McCutcheon’s second season as head coach.
- 2/29 vs. Bryant: The Bulldogs had an uncharacteristically down season in 2019, going just 3-11 overall. Against the Jaspers, Bryant had a two-goal lead early in the fourth quarter before Manhattan came back with a three-goal run to take home the win. Marc O’Rourke returns to spearhead the Bulldog offense.
- 3/14 at Canisius: One of the more surprising results in all of college lacrosse came in the penultimate weekend of the regular season. Canisius got out to a 6-3 lead at halftime, but Manhattan scored all four goals in the third quarter and played shutout defense in the fourth quarter to take home the one-goal upset of the Golden Griffins at home. This year’s meeting takes place in Western New York.
- 3/27 vs. Monmouth: If Manhattan wants to surprise many and make the MAAC Tournament, they’ll have to beat some formidable opponents in their own conference. One of them is Monmouth, who used a 7-0 run in the second and third quarters to help them to a five-goal win last year. Monmouth and Detroit Mercy are both home games for the Jaspers this season, and perhaps a chance for Manhattan to make a run at a postseason berth.