LOUDONVILLE, NY – Olivia McMaster punched home the loose ball rebound with just 76 seconds remaining as No. 5 seed Manhattan stunned fourth-seeded Siena Women's Soccer 1-0 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Quarterfinals on Hickey Field.
 
With the final seconds ticking down and the match seemingly destined for overtime, Manhattan (10-6-3) made the most of a rare opportunity to secure its first MAAC Tournament victory since 2017. A long shot from the right by Julia Nicholas through traffic was saved by Cate Burns, but McMaster was first to the rebound and volleyed home the decisive tally to secure the Jaspers first win in Loudonville in 23 years.
 
Riding a four-match win streak and primed for the program's first MAAC Tournament appearance in three years, Siena (10-8-2) controlled play throughout. The Saints held a 19-10 advantage in shots and registered a season-high 12 corners.
 
But Siena couldn't crack Molly Brunk and the Manhattan defense which earned its 11^th clean sheet this fall. Brunk made seven saves for the Jaspers who advance to face top-seeded Fairfield in the MAAC Semifinals Thursday at 7 p.m. in Connecticut. The regular season champion Stags fended off eighth-seeded Sacred Heart 1-0 in their quarterfinal matchup.
 
Megan Stowell paced the offense putting four of her match-high seven shots on target for the Saints who suffered their first outright defeat at home in postseason play (4-1-2). Burns stopped five shots in goal for Siena which saw the program's five-match win streak in the quarterfinal round snapped.  
 
Despite the abrupt ending to an extremely promising season, the future could not be any brighter for a youthful Siena Women's Soccer program on the rise which is projected to return 10 of 11 starters next fall. Predicted to finish ninth according to the MAAC Preseason Coaches' Poll, the Saints – who started six underclassmen, four of whom saw their first collegiate action this season – secured the program's first double-digit win season in six years while equaling the program benchmark for MAAC wins (2004, 2016) with seven conference victories.
 
The first three Siena MAAC Championships have come in five-year increments – 2010, 2015, and the 2020 COVID season played in the Spring of 2021 – and the Saints are primed to take their best shot at continuing that streak next fall.