Bryant Martinez
The Mount St. Mary's women's soccer team upset Rider 1-0 in an exciting match on a cold Wednesday evening to earn a much-wanted home playoff game in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference playoffs. Erin Antone's (C'27) goal in the 78th minute gave the Mountaineers the momentum they needed to pull off an incredible victory. A magical run to the conference semi-final ensued as the Mount beat Niagara in the quarterfinals on Oct. 29 in penalties by a score of 3-1. With goalkeeping heroics by Arden Lembryk (C’24), who was purposely put in for the penalty shootout, the Mount secured a historic victory in route to the highest ever finish in the MAAC conference playoffs.
This playoff bid was monumental for the Mountaineers, marking their first appearance in the conference playoffs since joining the MAAC last season. Moreover, the playoff game against Niagara was an historic event in the program's history, as it was their first-ever home playoff game. The Mountaineers qualified for the Northeast Conference Championships in 2018, which was the last time they appeared in the playoffs. The team has been pursuing a postseason spot ever since, and this season has shown that their determination has paid off.
The Mount finished with a strong 5-4-1 record in MAAC competition, enough for 16 points and fourth place in the conference standings. With the top six regular season teams being allowed to move on to the MAAC Championships. Quinnipiac, with a 9-0-1 league record, was ranked as the top seed. Fairfield (7-2-1), Canisius (6-2-2), and our very own Mount St. Mary's (5-4-1) were next, with Rider (4-5-1) and Niagara (4-4-2) rounding out the top six.
The conference was extremely competitive, as Manhattan (3-4-3) and Siena (3-4-3) tied for seventh place, one point short of the last playoff slot. The Mountaineers were among the best in the MAAC because of their dedication and consistent play throughout the season.
Defender Amani Green (C’26) has the most minutes played in the team with 1294. She has played in 16 games and started in 15 of them, while having one assist. Luisangely Navas (C’25), has the most points on the team, playing in 16 games and starting in all of them. She is essential to this team's success, while having 2 goals and 2 assists.
With a 7-8-1 overall record at the completion of the regular season, the Mount finished with the most victories in a season since their 7-11-1 record from 2012. The squad has made amazing progress under Coach Melissa Sherwood's guidance and is now just one victory shy from tying the school record of eight victories set in 1996.
The Mount lost away to Fairfield, the No. 2 seed in the conference playoffs, by a score of 3-0 on Nov. 2. But do not let this loss in any way distract from the process it took to get to that point. The women's soccer team at Mount St. Mary's has had an amazing season, exceeded all expectations, and won a lot of games. This team's run in the playoffs is a reminder of the season they had and what the future of the program looks like. It is a celebration of the effort and commitment they have shown all season long.
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