DeLand, Fla. – Stetson lacrosse secured a 21-17 victory over Manhattan on Sunday afternoon in a high-scoring battle. Five different Hatters recorded hat tricks, with Kaitlin Pani leading the way with five goals.
Pani kicked off the scoring just 42 seconds into the game. After Manhattan tied it at 1, Stetson responded with three consecutive goals in under two minutes. Katie Kornacki and Miya Scanlan each found the net, and Pani scored her second goal. The Jaspers answered with three straight goals to tie the game at 4. Kathleen Nichols broke the tie, making it 5-4, but Manhattan quickly responded again to even the score. Samantha King put Stetson back in front at 6-5, and Pani completed her hat trick with just under five minutes left in the first quarter. The teams went into the break with the Hatters leading 7-5.
The scoring continued in the second quarter, as Stetson went on a 4-0 run to start the period, with goals from Scanlan, Anya Lucia Phillips, Charlotte Castiglione, and King. Manhattan managed one goal in response, but Nichols scored her second to extend the Hatters' lead to 12-6. The score remained the same as the teams headed into halftime.
In the second half, Kornacki and Scanlan pushed the lead to eight, but Manhattan quickly trimmed the margin to just three. Nichols completed her hat trick, making it 15-11.Manhattan ended the third and started the fourth with five straight goals to tie the game at 15.
Pani and Kornacki answered with back-to-back goals 39 seconds apart to regain the lead for Stetson, but Manhattan responded with a goal of their own. The Hatters then closed out the game with four more goals in the final six minutes. Nichols, Pani, King, and Scanlan all contributed during the run. Manhattan added a late goal with just over a second left, but it wasn't enough as Stetson secured the 21-17 win.
Pani finished with five goals and four assists, while Scanlan and Nichols each added four goals and Scanlan contributed six assists. King and Kornacki rounded out the hat-trick scorers with three goals each. Maddie Eckert earned the win in goal, making eight saves.
The Hatters will next travel to Jacksonville to face the Dolphins on Saturday, March 22, at noon.
