{"id":316630,"date":"2026-08-08T09:50:24","date_gmt":"2026-08-08T09:50:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/316630\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T09:50:24","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T09:50:24","slug":"lawler-announces-eight-additions-to-2026-squad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/316630\/","title":{"rendered":"Lawler Announces Eight Additions to 2026 Squad"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>                    &#13;<br \/>\n                        Story Links&#13;<br \/>\n                        &#13;<\/p>\n<p>                     RIVERDALE, NY\u00a0&#8211; Manhattan Women&#8217;s Soccer Head Coach\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/gojaspers.com\/sports\/womens-soccer\/roster\/coaches\/brendan-lawler\/2093\" rel=\"smarttag nofollow noopener\" rev=\"2093\" target=\"_blank\">Brendan Lawler<\/a>\u00a0has announced eight additions to the Jaspers program ahead of the 2026 season\u00a0on Friday afternoon. These names include\u00a0Ava and <a href=\"https:\/\/gojaspers.com\/sports\/womens-soccer\/roster\/emma-boffalo\/12747\" rel=\"smarttag nofollow noopener\" rev=\"12747\" target=\"_blank\">Emma Boffalo<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/gojaspers.com\/sports\/womens-soccer\/roster\/katie-cragan\/12749\" rel=\"smarttag nofollow noopener\" rev=\"12749\" target=\"_blank\">Katie Cragan<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/gojaspers.com\/sports\/womens-soccer\/roster\/francesca-diaz\/12746\" rel=\"smarttag nofollow noopener\" rev=\"12746\" target=\"_blank\">Francesca Diaz<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/gojaspers.com\/sports\/womens-soccer\/roster\/baileigh-johnson\/12745\" rel=\"smarttag nofollow noopener\" rev=\"12745\" target=\"_blank\">Baileigh Johnson<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/gojaspers.com\/sports\/womens-soccer\/roster\/estelle-raspe\/12742\" rel=\"smarttag nofollow noopener\" rev=\"12742\" target=\"_blank\">Estelle Raspe<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/gojaspers.com\/sports\/womens-soccer\/roster\/logan-smith\/12748\" rel=\"smarttag nofollow noopener\" rev=\"12748\" target=\"_blank\">Logan Smith<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/gojaspers.com\/sports\/womens-soccer\/roster\/chloe-sobel\/12744\" rel=\"smarttag nofollow noopener\" rev=\"12744\" target=\"_blank\">Chloe Sobel<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/gojaspers.com\/sports\/womens-soccer\/roster\/ava-boffalo\/12743\" rel=\"smarttag nofollow noopener\" rev=\"12743\" target=\"_blank\">Ava Boffalo<\/a> &#8211; Forward &#8211; Pine Bush, NY<\/p>\n<p>Prior to Manhattan:\u00a0Attended Pine Bush High School in Pine Bush, New York, where she was a five-year varsity starter in soccer and also played four years of varsity softball\u00a0\u2026 Compiled 140 points throughout her career between 79 goals and 61 assists &#8230; Scored the game-winning goal in the 2024 Section 9 Championship Game to conclude a 31 goal year, winning Pine Bush their first Section 9 title since 2005 &#8230;\u00a0Selected three times as a Section 9 All-Star, as well as earning an equal amount of All-Section and All-State honors\u00a0\u2026 Also selected twice to All-Section in softball, where she was a frequent starter in both second base and the outfield &#8230; Hit .431 in her senior season along with a home run in the regional championship.<\/p>\n<p>Why Boffalo Chose Manhattan:\u00a0&#8220;I chose Manhattan University because I love the coaches, my teammates, and how close it is to home.&#8221;\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/gojaspers.com\/sports\/womens-soccer\/roster\/emma-boffalo\/12747\" rel=\"smarttag nofollow noopener\" rev=\"12747\" target=\"_blank\">Emma Boffalo<\/a> &#8211; Defender\/Midfielder &#8211; Pine Bush, NY<\/p>\n<p>Prior to College: Attended Pine Bush High School in Pine Bush, New York, where she was a five-year varsity starter in soccer and also played a combined six more years of varsity sports between basketball and softball \u2026 Anchored her team&#8217;s defense at center back, earning three Section 9 All-Star appearances, as well as being selected All-Section and All-State &#8230; Scored 13 goals and tallied four assists during her career\u00a0&#8230; Served as team captain for two seasons &#8230; Won a combined three Section 9 Championships in soccer and softball\u00a0\u2026 Also led her softball team to the state championship game while also serving as captain, hitting a home run in the state semifinal and Section 9 Championship Game &#8230; Hit .377 in her senior season while starting at first base.<\/p>\n<p>Why Boffalo Chose Manhattan: &#8220;I chose Manhattan University because I loved the culture and dynamic.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/gojaspers.com\/sports\/womens-soccer\/roster\/katie-cragan\/12749\" rel=\"smarttag nofollow noopener\" rev=\"12749\" target=\"_blank\">Katie Cragan<\/a> &#8211; Forward &#8211; Pine Bush, NY<\/p>\n<p>Prior to College: Attended Pine Bush High School in Pine Bush, New York, where she was a five-year varsity starter in soccer and also played a combined four years of varsity between lacrosse and basketball \u2026 Served as a two-year team captain in soccer and lacrosse along with basketball in her senior season \u2026 Earned numerous soccer accolades including Fourth Team All-State, Section 9 all-star and two-time All-Section \u2026 Also won a Section 9 Championship in both soccer and lacrosse.<\/p>\n<p>Why Cragan Chose Manhattan: &#8220;I chose Manhattan University because of the close-knit community with a great alumni program, as well as the class size and being in New York City.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/gojaspers.com\/sports\/womens-soccer\/roster\/francesca-diaz\/12746\" rel=\"smarttag nofollow noopener\" rev=\"12746\" target=\"_blank\">Francesca Diaz<\/a> &#8211; Midfielder\u00a0&#8211; Scottsdale, AZ<\/p>\n<p>Prior to College: Attended Xavier College Prepatory School in Phoenix, Arizona &#8230; Played club soccer for AZ Arsenal ECNL \/ Phoenix Rising ECNL &#8230; Played four years of varsity soccer \u2026 Team captain senior season &#8230; Won state championship her first three years, runner-up in senior year.<\/p>\n<p>Why Diaz Chose Manhattan: &#8220;I chose Manhattan University because it felt like the perfect fit for me. Being in New York means being surrounded by so many opportunities, whether it&#8217;s school, soccer, or experiences. I loved the coaches and the team, and I knew it was a place where I could grow, challenge myself, and make the most of my college experience.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/gojaspers.com\/sports\/womens-soccer\/roster\/baileigh-johnson\/12745\" rel=\"smarttag nofollow noopener\" rev=\"12745\" target=\"_blank\">Baileigh Johnson<\/a>\u00a0&#8211; Forward &#8211; Spring Lake Heights, NJ<\/p>\n<p>Prior to College: Attended Point Pleasant Beach High School in New Jersey \u00a0&#8230; Played four years of varsity soccer \u2026 All-time leading goal scorer for Point Pleasant Beach with 77 goals &#8230; Tacked on 36 career assists as well\u00a0 &#8230; Three-time Offensive Player of the Year &#8230; Three-time All-State &#8230; Two-time All-Shore &#8230; Four-Time All-County and All-Division &#8230; Led her team to three state sectional championships.<\/p>\n<p>Why Johnson Chose Manhattan: &#8220;I chose to attend Manhattan University because of the family feel of the team, great academics, and the location being in New York City.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/gojaspers.com\/sports\/womens-soccer\/roster\/estelle-raspe\/12742\" rel=\"smarttag nofollow noopener\" rev=\"12742\" target=\"_blank\">Estelle Raspe<\/a> &#8211; Defender &#8211; Stockholm, Sweden<\/p>\n<p>Prior to College: Attended Sjolins Gymnasium Sodermalm in Stockholm, Sweden &#8230; Played club soccer for Djurgardens IF &#8230; A regular starter for U19 gaems with Djurgradens, trained with the A team in the highest division of women&#8217;s soccer in Sweden &#8230; Selected for the Sweden U17 National Team &#8230; Played on Djurgarden&#8217;s first team in a friendly against Celtic FC, Hammarby IF, and Malibackens IF.<\/p>\n<p>Why Raspe\u00a0Chose Manhattan: &#8220;I chose Manhattan University because it offers the opportunity to pursue a strong education while competing at a high level in soccer. I&#8217;m also excited to study in New York City, where I&#8217;ll have access to outstanding networking chances and internships within the finance industry. I believe Manhattan provides the ideal environment for me to grow as both a student-athlete and future business professional.&#8221;\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/gojaspers.com\/sports\/womens-soccer\/roster\/logan-smith\/12748\" rel=\"smarttag nofollow noopener\" rev=\"12748\" target=\"_blank\">Logan Smith<\/a> &#8211; Midfielder &#8211; Raleigh, NC<\/p>\n<p>Prior to College: Attended The Keystone School &#8230; Played club soccer for North Carolina FC ECNL &#8230; Racked up three Triangle Independent Schools Athletic Conference (TISAC) All-Conference First Team selections, as well as three-time TISAC All-Region\u00a0\u2026 2023 TISAC Player of the Year &#8230; Two-time All-State, two-time Player of the Year finalist &#8230; 20 goals and 15 assists throughout ECNL career &#8230; 75 goals and 55 assists across 62 high school games.<\/p>\n<p>Why Smith Chose Manhattan: &#8220;I chose Manhattan University because I wanted to return to the Northeast after being raised in Massachusetts. I also liked being in New York City.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/gojaspers.com\/sports\/womens-soccer\/roster\/chloe-sobel\/12744\" rel=\"smarttag nofollow noopener\" rev=\"12744\" target=\"_blank\">Chloe Sobel<\/a> &#8211; Goalkeeper\u00a0&#8211; Los Angeles, CA<\/p>\n<p>Prior to College: Attended Chaminade College Preparatory in Los Angeles, California &#8230; Played club soccer for LA Breakers FC &#8230; Did not play much high school soccer due to injury &#8230; Also played for the LAFC SoCal Women in the Women&#8217;s Premier Soccer League (WPSL) &#8230; Qualified for playoffs on the U17 team &#8230; Team MVP as a high school freshman, led team to state quarterfinals.<\/p>\n<p>Why Sobel\u00a0Chose Manhattan: &#8220;I chose Manhattan University due to the competitive environment on and off the field. I have always wanted to compete at a high level, while still receiving a strong education, which Manhattan allows me to do. Having the ability to live in New York City has also been a lifelong dream of mine.&#8221;\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Follow Manhattan Women&#8217;s Soccer\u00a0on X (@JaspersWSOC) and Instagram (@jasperswsoc).\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"&#13; Story Links&#13; &#13; RIVERDALE, NY\u00a0&#8211; Manhattan Women&#8217;s Soccer Head Coach\u00a0Brendan Lawler\u00a0has announced eight additions to the Jaspers&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":316631,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[75,84,83,9,24,63],"class_list":["post-316630","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-manhattan","tag-manhattan","tag-manhattan-headlines","tag-manhattan-news","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/316630","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=316630"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/316630\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/316631"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=316630"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=316630"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=316630"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}