GREENVALE, N.Y. – It was a tale of two halves for the LIU Brooklyn women's lacrosse team Saturday afternoon, as the Blackbirds would rally in the second half to score seven goals on local rival Manhattan, but the Jaspers were able to hold off the surge and take the win, 15-12.

The Blackbirds were slow to get started in the game, and Manhattan would jump out to a 3-0 lead in the first six minutes of the game. Senior Jenn Peters had her first of five goals at the 23-minute mark to get LIU on the board. It wasn't until the last 15 minutes of the first half, however, that LIU would really get things going. After the Jaspers jumped out to an 8-2 lead, freshman Bianca Santucci scored for the Blackbirds at 14:27, and two minutes later, senior Tori Shinkowitz added an unassisted goal. Senior Mary McQueen would score at 10:19 as well, cutting the lead to 10-5. Manhattan would score twice more before the break, and took a 12-5 lead into the half.

In the second half, a different Blackbird squad came on the field. LIU would out-shoot Manhattan in the second 30 minutes, 21-8, forcing Manhattan's goalie to make nine saves. LIU also forced 15 Jasper turnovers, and out-performed the visiting team in nearly every statistical category, including clears, ground balls, draw controls and free position shots.

Senior Tori Shinkowitz got the scoring started for the Blackbirds just 30 seconds into the half, on an unassisted goal. Peters would add two more over the next two minutes, cutting the lead to 12-8. Though Manhattan was able to score three straight goals, and take the lead 15-8 with 16 minutes left to play, it would be the last three times the Jaspers would score in the contest. Senior Jillian May had a goal with 12:34 to play, off a pass from Shinkowitz that would help spark LIU's run. Candice Mosal added a goal at 7:24 off a Manhattan turnover, and Peters added her final score of the game with four minutes left to make it 15-11. The Blackbirds were able to score once more with 35 seconds left on the clock, when Santucci scored coming out of an LIU timeout, but Manhattan won the next draw control, and neither team was able to make a final move, giving the Jaspers the 15-12 win.

Jenn Peters led all players with five goals in the win, while classmate Tori Shinkowitz had two goals, two assists and four draw controls. Bianca Santucci added two goals, while Mary McQueen, Candic Mosal and Jillian May each added one. Junior Sierra O'Connor had six caused turnovers and three draw controls for LIU, while senior Mackenzie Rolland had four draw controls to lead the Blackbirds.

Up next, the Blackbirds travel north to take on the University of Massachusetts Lowell, Saturday, March 25 at 5 p.m.