The Manhattan men's lacrosse is hosting the semifinals and championship game of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference championship on Thursday and Saturday at Gaelic Park. The Jaspers, the top seed in the tournament, are seeking a second consecutive MAAC championship and trip to the NCAA Tournament.

The Jaspers won 10 games during the regular season, earning a share of the regular season championship. It is the third time in program history that the team has won 10 games or more.

"It's a little bit more pressure when you are the home team, but we'll be ready to go," Christian Clifford, a graduate student defenseman, said.

Tadhg O'Riordan, who is from Rockland County and grew up playing gaelic football at Gaelic Park, is excited for Thursday.

"We won a lot of championships here — hoping to get one more," O'Riordan said.

The team is led by first-year head coach John Odierna, a Long Island native who was recently named MAAC Coach of the Year. Drew Kelleher won the award in 2021.

Odierna was with the program for seven years before being named head coach in June.

"We want this to be a great destination to play college lacrosse, so I think earning the right to host allows us to show kind of what we have been working on, not only this year but for many years leading up to this point," Odierna, who played college lacrosse at Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania, said.

Players give a lot of credit to Odierna and his staff for their success, and also for the culture that has been created.

"We are just very close — a very close team. Everyone is best friends with each other, so that makes it really special this year," Liam McDonough, a graduate student face off specialist, said.

The Jaspers host the Siena Saints in the semifinals on Thursday at 7 p.m. If the Jaspers win, they will play either the Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers or the Marist Red Foxes in the championship game.