#5 Women's Soccer Draws #4 Sage in 1st Rd. of Skyline Playoffs
Written by Joshua Soto (SJC-LI Sports Information)
Patchogue, NY| The St. Joseph's College (L.I) women's soccer team will travel to Albany, NY for the first round of the Skyline Conference Championship on Saturday evening, as the fourth-seeded Sage Colleges Gators welcome the fifth-seeded Golden Eagles to the Albany College of Pharmacy Complex on October 29.
In their last match of the regular season, on Tuesday evening, the Golden Eagles dropped a 2-0 decision against Farmingdale State to lock the seeding for the tournament.
St. Joseph's College wrapped up its regular season with a 5-12-1 record, as well as a 4-4-1 record in conference play. The Golden Eagles earned their 12th straight bid into the Skyline Conference playoffs a year after winning the program's first Conference Championship.
The reigning Skyline Champions are led by SJC's leading goal scorer Christina Gagliardi. Gagliardi currently has eight goals to her name, and is tied in ninth all-time with the most goals scored in a single season by a Golden Eagle. The forward had a game high in goals with two against Maritime and St. Joseph's College (Bklyn) this season.
Mackenzie Nyitray 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 has accumulated eight points, scoring three goals and assisting in two. Shannon Condron has been an impact player in the midfield in her freshman campaign. Condron is third on the team in both points (6) and goals (2) and is credited with two assists on the year. Condron has been the anchor for the Golden Eagles, her ability to beat multiple players, and her ability to shut down the opposition's best player will prove to be crucial in Saturday's game.
The backline will be led by senior captain Katie Condron and junior captain Katelyn Jones. They will look to keep the Sage College Gators at bay.
Freshman goalkeeper Juliana Cintron-Leonardo has been a stalwart in goal for the Golden Eagles, recording 41 saves and posting a 1.06 goals-against-average while starting in six matches. She has also recorded three shutouts this season.
The last time the two teams saw each other was on Sept. 24, when Samantha Trimblett of the Gators slotted home the game winner in the 2-1 overtime win over the Golden Eagles. Senior Captain Rebecca Voisich scored the lone goal for SJC in the loss.
The Golden Eagles will start their road for championship glory on Saturday October 29 at the Albany College of Pharmacy Athletic Complex at 5 PM. Follow the game live here.