Women's Soccer Enters Skyline Playoffs as #4 Seed

Written by Joshua Soto (SJC-LI Sports Information)

Patchogue, NY| The St. Joseph's College (L.I) women's soccer team will host the first round of the Skyline Conference Championship Tournament on Saturday afternoon, as the fourth-seeded Golden Eagles welcome the fifth-seeded SUNY Old Westbury Panthers to Danzi Stadium at 12 PM.

In their last match, on Tuesday evening, the Golden Eagles picked up a 4-1 decision against Old Westbury to lock the seeding for the tournament. Chelsea Bellini scored in the third minute of action, before Heather Nolan scored the second goal of the game and her first of the season. The Panthers cut their deficit in half in the 16th minute. SJC tacked on two more goals to conclude its regular season with a 4-1 victory.

St. Joseph's College wrapped up its regular season with a 7-9-1 record, as well as a 6-3 record in conference play. The Golden Eagles earned their 11th straight bid into the Skyline Conference Tournament and are looking to claim the program's first conference championship a year after falling to Farmingdale St. in the 2014 semifinal.

The two time Skyline Championship runner-ups are led by SJC's leading goal scorer Chelsea Bellini. Bellini currently has 11 goals to her name, and is tied in fourth all-time with the most goals scored in a single season by a Golden Eagle. The forward had a game high in goals with four against Purchase College on October 24th.

Claire Brady has been one of the most dangerous players for the Golden Eagles, her speed and physicality and her ability to go one-on-one with defenders put her on top of the conference leaderboards. She had accumulated 10 points, and scored four goals and assisted in two.

Taking the leadership role in the midfield is senior captain Jessica Cordano. Cordano leads the team with five assists and scored four goals for the Golden Eagles. "She is a double threat midfielder," said head coach Nic DeZenzo. She can score and set up opportunities and contributes both defensively and offensively.

Captain JoAnn Murino has paced the St. Joseph's College defense holding its opponents to a .122 shooting percentage. She led the backline throughout the season and her speed, physicality, and technical ability of the game makes it tough for the opposing teams to score

Senior Katie McGarrell has been a stalwart in goal for the Golden Eagles, recording 88 saves and posting a 1.52 goals-against-average while starting in 15 matches. She has also recorded six shutouts this season.

Team captains, Lauren Heschl, Murino and Cordano are all looking forward to the Conference Championship. "Our coaches had us make a list of team goals during preseason. Our goal was to stay undefeated at home in conference play, host a playoff game, and win the Skyline Conference Championship. We worked very hard and have completed the two out of the three, but we aren't done yet," said the senior captains.

Coach DeZenzo, who is in his first year at St. Joseph's College, is optimistic heading into this tournament, stating that "we have had a great year so far, but we are far from done. We are peaking at the right time and we believe that we are a championship team. We are taking it one game at a time and our focus right now is Old Westbury."

The Golden Eagles will start their road for championship glory on Saturday October 31 at Danzi Stadium. Kick-off is scheduled for 12 PM.