NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. - Sophomore Kylie Rosette (Watertown, N.Y./General Brown) scored six goals and assisted on two more to lead top-seeded Le Moyne to a 14-6 win over No. 4 seed Manhattan in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference semifinals at Iona College. The Dolphins (14-3) will meet the winner of this afternoon's other semifinal between Canisius and Fairfield on Sunday at noon.
Rosette scored three times in each half to run her season goal total to 32. Senior Liz Hewitt (Liverpool, N.Y./Liverpool) netted three goals, Whitney Vecchio (Watertown, N.Y./General Brown) scored twice, while Amanda Keegan (Marcellus, N.Y./Marcellus), Karla Hardy (Tully, N.Y./Tully) and Meghan Burgoon (Syracuse, N.Y./West Genesee) tallied one each. Sophomore goalkeeper Samantha Falcone (Syracuse, N.Y./West Genesee), the 2006 MAAC Defensive Player of the Year, made 11 saves for her program-record 14th win of the season.
Le Moyne scored three goals over the first nine minutes and five seconds to take a 3-0 lead. Vecchio opened the scoring off a feed from Hewitt on Le Moyne's first possession, 20 seconds into the contest. Rosette netted her first goal off a feed from Vecchio to make it 2-0 one minute and 11 seconds into the game. Hewitt gave the top-seeded Dolphins a 3-0 edge with her 32nd goal of the season with 20:55 remaining in the opening half.
Brenna Tinari and Lauren Civardi answered for Manhattan as the Jaspers pulled within a goal. Manhattan trailed by one for the final time with 12:05 remaining in the first half as Alicia Psillos scored to make it 4-3.
Rosette converted a free position shot with 10:47 remaining in the half to start a four-goal Le Moyne run. Hewitt and Vecchio scored as Le Moyne took a 7-3 lead into the intermission and Hardy pushed across the first goal of the second half to put the Dolphins up 8-3.
Manhattan scored back-to-back goals to pull back within three goals, but Keegan tallied her team-high 42nd goal of the season, Rosette scored twice and Hewitt netted her third goal of the game with 7:47 remaining as Le Moyne used a 5-0 run to open up a commanding 12-5 lead.
Le Moyne and Manhattan have won each of the last four MAAC Championships. Le Moyne won the league crown in 2002 and 2003, while Manhattan was the two-time defending champion. The Dolphins beat both of their potential championship combatants. Le Moyne topped Canisius at home on April 21 by a score of 20-12 and ran past Fairfield on the road April 1 by a score of 20-10.
Sunday's MAAC champion advances to an NCAA Play-in game at the Patriot League champion on May 6.
