RIVERDALE, NY – The Purple and White (11-6, 5-3 MAAC) secured the No. 3 seed in the upcoming MAAC Women's Lacrosse Championship with a convincing 15-4 win over Manhattan Saturday afternoon in MAAC women's lacrosse action from Gaelic Park.
 
Andra Savage totaled seven points on five goals and two assists, while Lexi Braniecki (four goals, one assist) and Lois Garlow (two goals, three assists) notched five points apiece. Katie Ling made seven saves in goal for Niagara.
 
Game Recap
First Quarter
• Manhattan would take a 1-0 lead over Niagara but it wouldn't last long as Riley Latray would find Savage who deposited her 28th goal of the season into the back of the net to tie the game at 1-1 with five minutes into the contest.
• The Niagara and Manhattan defenses would show their prowess for a majority of the quarter as it wasn't until the 33-second mark of the frame that Savage broke the tie with her second tally of the contest.
• Freshman keeper, Ling would keep NU up 2-1 with a save in the final seconds of the quarter.  
 
Second Quarter
• Savage would complete the first-half hat trick with a top-shelf goal assisted by Garlow, giving Niagara a 3-1 lead over the Jaspers.
• Manhattan would respond quickly with a goal in off the ensuing draw to put the Jaspers down by one, 3-2.
• The Purple Eagles would go back up by two with a tally from Braniecki, her 41st of the season, with 12:08 remaining in the half.
• Three minutes later Latray would find Savage for her fourth goal of the contest and a 5-2 lead for Niagara.
• Niagara's sixth goal of the contest came at the 5:42 mark from the stick of Braniecki.
• Manhattan cut the NU lead in half with a goal less than a minute later.
• Garlow would give the Purple and White a 7-3 lead with her first goal of the game and 38th of the season.   
 
Third Quarter
• Rachel Crane notched her 50th goal of the season to start the third quarter, giving Niagara an 8-3 advantage.
• Moments later, Braniecki scored on a free-position attempt to record a hat trick and put Niagara up by six, 9-3.
• The Jaspers got one back at the 10:36 mark to make it a 9-4 game.
• Jaclyn Crane would score Niagara's 10th goal of the contest with 27-seconds remaining in the third.
 
Fourth Quarter
• Garlow would get an early free-position opportunity in the fourth and execute, giving Niagara a 11-4 lead over the Jaspers.
• After Manhattan had a goal taken off the board, the Purple Eagles took advantage of the woman-up opportunity when Latray found R. Crane for her second goal of the contest.
• Jenna Brill would join the goal parade with her first goal of the afternoon after receiving a pass from Braniecki, giving NU a 13-4 lead.
• With 5:20 left in the contest, Niagara would take a 14-4 lead when Garlow intercepted a pass and found Braniecki in front for her fourth of the contest.
• Savage would add one more for good measure as the Purple Eagles coasted to a 15-4 win over Manhattan.
 
Niagara Notes
• Niagara will host a MAAC postseason game for the third-straight season.
• The Purple Eagles scored two goals in the first quarter, the eighth time this season NU has tallied two or fewer goals in the opening quarter.
• Savage recorded her first hat trick of the season since Niagara played Eastern Michigan on Feb. 16. The junior was involved in the first four goals for Niagara.
• Crane became the sixth Purple Eagle to score 50 goals in a season and first since Rachel MacCheyne in 2019.
• With three assists this afternoon, Latray has 36 on the season, two shy of tying the program record of 38 held by Sandra Gallegos (2002) and Grace Hunt (2017).
• With two caused turnovers, Sydney Huhtala has 36 on the season, one shy of tying the single-season record of 37 held by Alexandra Higgins (2017).
• With three ground balls on the afternoon, Jess Foley now has 102 on her career, 10th most in program history. 
 
Up Next
• Niagara will host the No. 6 seed Sunday, April 30 in the MAAC Women's Lacrosse Championship quarterfinal. The opponent and opening draw time are TBD.
 
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