Nov. 4 marked a huge day in athletics for the Cavalier family.
Four fall teams were contenders in their Colonial State Athletic Conference championship game.
Field hockey, volleyball and both women’s and men’s soccer fought for their respective titles.
At the end of the day, three teams went home victorious– men’s soccer, women’s soccer and volleyball.
At home, the Cavaliers men’s soccer team defeated the Keystone College Giants by a score of 1-0.
Freshman forward John Griffin decided the game in the 72nd minute off an assist from sophomore midfielder Chris Araujo.
“It’s an amazing feeling that we won CSACs, but we are still trying to be the first team in Cabrini Men’s Soccer history to win the NCAA first round game,” Ben Roda, captain of the Cavaliers men’s soccer team, said.
The women’s soccer team won on the road, defeating the higher ranked Marywood University Pacers 2-1.
“Last year’s setback after losing in the semis and breaking our streak really built a fire under us and created a mindset that we were not going to lose this year,” senior midfielder Marisa Christensen said. “Going into it, we knew we had to play a full 90-minutes of Cabrini soccer.”
The wins collected by the men’s and women’s soccer teams mark each team’s 10th CSAC championship. For both squads, it was their first championship since 2015.
Despite losing freshman setter Olivia Blankenbiller to injury early in the matches, the Cavaliers volleyball team won 3-1 over the Neumann University Knights.
“Trust was a huge part of our win. Since we lost our setter [Olivia], we had to believe in one another,” freshman outside hitter Morgan Collito said of her volleyball team winning the conference. “I think we have a great shot at going far [in the NCAA tournament]. Hopefully, we can prove that Cabrini is the best.”
For women’s volleyball, it was their 5th consecutive CSAC championship. The team improved to 29-6, tying team’s all time record for wins in a season with 2013.
While the three teams have gotten much younger over the past year or so, it was their veteran leaders who stepped up on CSAC Saturday.
Seniors Ben Roda (men’s soccer), senior Gabby LeGendre (women’s soccer) and junior Ashley Shannon (volleyball) walked away with their respective CSAC Championship MVP honors.
“Winning MVP was truly amazing,” Roda said. “It means the world to me because I’ve put so much work in the offseason and did everything I could to put our team in the best position to win and I’m happy my work hasn’t gone unnoticed.”
“I didn’t think that I was going to get the MVP because everyone stepped their game up once our setter, Olivia Blankenbiller, got hurt,” junior libero Ashley Shannon said. “Once they said, ‘Libero from Cabrini University,’ I thought that Kristen Betterman was going to get it because she had been thrown into the game unknowingly.”
“It really is an honor to be named MVP; however, we wouldn’t have been in that championship game without Olivia Blankenbiller,” Shannon said.
LeGendre took the award home for her outstanding efforts in the goal.
The three squads will move on to play in each of their NCAA Division III tournaments.
Men’s soccer will face the No. 17 Rowan Profs Saturday, Nov. 11 at 4 p.m. on Rowan’s home turf.
On Saturday, Nov. 11, women’s soccer will travel to Newport News, Va., and battle No. 8 Christopher Newport University at 5 p.m.
Volleyball has been slated to face Otterbein University on Friday, Nov. 10 at 8 p.m. at Otterbein.
The Cavaliers field hockey team, who played in their 10th straight championship game on CSAC Saturday was dethroned by rival Gwynedd Mercy University in a 3-0 loss.
“After the game, I was very upset but I don’t think there is anything I would’ve done differently,” senior captain midfielder Jackie Neary said about her final collegiate field hockey game. “We played our hardest with heart and grit, and I am very proud of my teammates.”
Neary had the only two shots for the Cavaliers, during the game.
Their lost battle was the farewell to the 13-person senior class. Together, they led the team to 45 victories over the course of their four years.
All of Cabrini’s fall sports teams made their school proud, as they competed. They fought for their coaches, their teammates, their fans and their school. Going forward, the Cabrini community will look forward to more success as the NCAA tournament begins.
