(Riverdale, NY) - Senior Day - the final home game of the regular season in which all graduating seniors are honored for their accomplishments on and off the field during the previous four years - is generally regarded as a happy occasion in which all of those playing at home for the final time enjoy one final moment in the spotlight before their careers come to a close. When the College of Saint Elizabeth scored only 1:25 into Thursday's game and put a #2 seed in the upcoming Hudson Valley Women's Athletic Conference (HVWAC) playoffs in serious doubt for Mount Saint Vincent, the celebrating had to be put on hold ... at least for a little while. Ultimately, on a day when three of the most prominent Dolphins to ever wear the blue and gold were honored, it was a group of virtual role players who stole the show, as three Dolphins found the back of the net for the first time this season, leading the Mount to a 4-2 come from behind win during a game played at Mount Saint Vincent.
With the win, the Mount improves to 6-4-1 overall and finishes the 2006 season with a 4-1 record in HVWAC play that has earned the Dolphins the #2 seed in the upcoming HVWAC playoffs.
Saint Elizabeth (3-10, 1-3 HVWAC) was all business from the start, scoring 1:25 into the game as Samantha Donlon blasted a shot from outside the box into the upper corner for the quick lead. From there, the Eagle defense settled in and stymied the Mount offense for a long stretch, until at 23:10, junior Marie Garcia (Medford, MA/Medford HS) continued her stellar recent play when she found a wide-open Jamie Longo (Concord, MA/Concord-Carlisle HS), who converted the pass for her fifth goal of the season and the 1-1 tie. But the Eagles kept plugging away, and pushed the Mount defense to try to regain the lead.
The Saint Elizabeth pressure gave the Mount fowards several breakaway attempts, one of which the Dolphins converted at 41:29 when freshman Mercedes Motz (Warwick, NY/Burke Catholic), in her first game back from a serious leg injury that sidelined her for more than two weeks, streaked all alone past the Eagle defense for a breakaway goal and the 2-1 lead. Mount Saint Vincent then settled in and seemed to have the Saint Elizabeth attack contained, but the Eagles broke through at 71:00 when Chantelle Blair tied the game with a beautiful goal from well inside the box.
But Mount Saint Vincent only seemed to rally when faced with the threat of losing out on a playoff home game. The Dolphins scored twice in a three-minute span to break the tie and bust the game wide open. Up first was sophomore Jennifer Lupero (Mamaroneck, NY/Mamaroneck HS), who slid in behind the Saint Elizabeth defense, received a gorgeous feed from junior Katherine Gentsch (Staten Island, NY/Curtis HS), and one-timed it for her first goal of 2006 and the 3-2 lead. Three minutes later, Lupero found junior Sara Fernandes (Yonkers, NY/Our Lady of Victory), who blasted an outside shot to the back of the net for the 4-2 advantage. For Motz, Lupero, and Fernandes, the goals were their first of 2006.
Overall, Mount Saint Vincent enjoyed a 28-12 edge in shots and 5-0 advantage in corner kicks. Saint Elizabeth goalie Krystle Fierro was outstanding in net, making 12 saves, while her counterpart Alexis Alessi (Oceanside, NY/Oceanside HS) made five saves.
After the game, seniors Colleen Balk (Staten Island, NY/St. John Villa), Nabela Tahir (Flushing, NY/Cardozo HS), and Kaitlin Whalley (West Babylon, NY/St. John the Baptist) were honored for four outstanding years of service to Mount Saint Vincent soccer on their Senior Day. And it was a happy occasion as the Mount will return home to host an HVWAC playoff game during the last week of October.
For now, the Dolphins have three regular season games remaining, beginning with a trip to Farmingdale State on Friday, Oct. 20 at 3:30 p.m.
