10/14/2006 - (Riverdale, NY) – As far as the Mount Saint Vincent Women’s Soccer team is concerned, the 2006 playoffs have begun. Three days after a 2-2 tie against Centenary College that marked one of the finest performances in team history, the Mount took to the field Saturday afternoon for a clash with St. Joseph’s College in a game that brought with it huge Skyline Conference post-season implications. Unfortunately for Mount Saint Vincent, a game that could have put the Dolphins in the driver’s seat for their first-ever Skyline Conference playoff appearance, ultimately proved to yield more questions than answers as the Golden Eagles put forth a dominant performance for a 3-0 win at Mount Saint Vincent. With the loss, the Dolphins fall to 5-3-1 overall and 2-3-1 in Skyline Conference play. From this point on, every game is now a must-win.

St. Joseph’s clouded the playoff picture to say the least with the win. Stevens and Manhattanville currently sit in first and second place, respectively, and have all but clinched their way into the post-season. Three teams currently have seven points as Mount Saint Vincent, St. Joseph’s, and Centenary are tied for third place, and Farmingdale has six points and sits in fourth place. Only two of the four teams with six or seven points will advance to the post-season, meaning that a Mount Saint Vincent win over Farmingdale State on Friday, Oct. 20 puts them right on the playoff doorstep, while a loss all but eliminates their Skyline Conference playoff hopes. But between now and then, there is a lot of soccer to be played.

St. Joseph’s (6-5-1, 2-2-1 Skyline Conference) took the field a team on a post-season mission on Saturday, scoring only eight minutes into the game as sophomore Courtney Caden (Setauket, NY/Ward Melville HS) followed up a spectacular save by Dolphin goalie Alexis Alessi (Oceanside, NY/Oceanside HS) with a rebound goal for a 1-0 lead. Seven minutes later, with the Mount defense back on their heels, the Golden Eagles made it 2-0 as freshman Jackie Barbour (West Islip, NY/West Islip HS) scored the first of her two goals off of a gorgeous feed by Meghan Brady (Rocky Point, NY/Rocky Point HS). St. Joseph’s made it 3-0 in the 34th minute and coasted to victory.

The Golden Eagles outshot the Mount, 30-7 and had a decisive edge in possession. Alessi provided the Mount with their lone bright spot, a 14-save effort that kept the game close as several of her saves came from right on the doorstep.

Prior to Friday’s showdown with Farmingdale State, the Mount will close out their Hudson Valley Women’s Athletic Conference (HVWAC) schedule with home games against the College of Staten Island – the 2005 HVWAC Regular Season Champion, whom Mount Saint Vincent defeated 1-0 in the Championship Game – on Monday and Saint Elizabeth on Thursday. Both games will be played at Redmond-Cooke Field at 4:00 p.m., and if Mount Saint Vincent sweeps the games, they will capture their first-ever HVWAC Regular Season crown.