Riverdale, NY - The Dolphins are regular season conference champions for the first time  in program history.
 
The University if Mount Saint Vincents women's soccer team took on Manhattanville University to close out the 2024 regular season on Tuesday evening. It was a hard fought battle between two playoff-bound teams, and a late goal by sophomore Eva Puentes was the difference maker in the contest.
 
UMSV wrapped up their conference slate 9-1-1, giving them home field advantage over the course of the championship tournament. 
 
Both the Dolphins and Valiants defense had strong first halves, with neither side allowing a goal. It wasn't for a lack of trying on UMSV's part, however, as the Dolphins would pepper Manhattanville's goalkeeper with 12 first half shots.
 
The second half mirrored the first. UMSV would continue to take it to the Valiants offensively, with the home team's defense matching the energy at the other end of the pitch. The score remained tied at 0 up until the final minutes of the contest, but it was then when the Dolphins would finally get on the board.
 
There was fantastic ball movement on all ends for UMSV. It all started with defender Maddie Halford, who found Arianna Morales at midfield. Morales was able to fend off a Valiants opponent to find Brittany Boyle, who made a tremendous through ball to a streaking Dana DeDominicis. DeDominicis used her strength and speed to find her way all the way to the front of the net and was able to get a tough shot off. The attempt was saved by Manhattanville, but Puentes was in the right place at the right time, as she took the rebound directly off her head to secure the lone strike of the contest. 
 
Javiera Sanchez had a strong game in net, stopping all three shots she faced.
 
The Dolphins earned a first round bye for the second time in three seasons. They'll welcome the winner of Sarah Lawrence College and St. Joseph's University Long Island to Riverdale on Wednesday.