LATROBE, Pa. (Oct. 24) – In its final tune-up before the Presidents' Athletic Conference Championship Tournament, the Saint Vincent College women's soccer team earned a 2-0 Senior Night victory over conference foe Chatham College under the lights at UPMC Field.
 
The Bearcats (10-4-3, 6-2-2 PAC) clinched their first 10-win season since 2013, while the team's six PAC victories are its most since becoming a full league member in 2011.
 
After Saint Vincent racked three shots and took two corner kicks in the game's first nine minutes, Chatham (2-11-3, 1-8-1) responded to own the better of the play over the middle to latter stages of the half. Between the 12th and 34th minutes, the visitors outshot SVC 6-1, while controlling possession for long stretches.
 
Play evened out as the half wound down, and the Bearcats would strike first in the waning moments. With 1:40 left, Saint Vincent was granted a free kick just inside midfield. Several players battled for the loose ball just outside of the 18, with SVC's Emma Koller emerging with it from the pack. She dribbled through contact and dropped it across the goal mouth to Brooke Garman, who blasted it home for her fourth tally of the season to give the Bearcats a 1-0 lead with 1:19 left in the half.
 
While the Bearcats took the one-goal lead into the half, they were outshot 8-5 by their visitors, and Chatham took two of the three first half corner kicks. SVC keeper Madison Arnold made two first half saves.
 
The Bearcats kept the momentum from Garman's late strike entering the second half, blasting five shots and taking three corner kicks over the first six minutes of the second frame, with two attempts blocked and two others saved by Chatham keeper Katie Krecek.
 
Momentum then swung the way of the Cougars, who would take four corner kicks and three of the game's next four shots over the next 12 minutes, but Arnold made a pair of saves to preserve the one-goal lead.
 
With just under 13 minutes to go, Saint Vincent would finally add on to its lead when Jordan Kirkwood battled for and controlled a loose, bouncing ball at the top of the box through two defenders. She quickly settled it and blasted a left-footer into the lower corner of the cage for her fifth of the season to increase the SVC lead to 2-0 with 12:47 left in regulation.
 
The Bearcats would then limit the Cougars to just two shots the rest of the way to close out their eighth shutout victory of the season.
 
Thanks to its 11-4 margin over the second half, Saint Vincent outshot Chatham 16-12 on the evening, while holding a 9-4 edge in shots-on-goal, with Arnold turning all four aside for the clean sheet. Nine different Saint Vincent players had at least one shot, led by four apiece from Koller and Tanisha Grewal.
 
Prior to their final career home regular season match,the Bearcats' three-woman senior class of Grewal, Sydney Campbell and Lucia Johnson were recognized for their four-year careers in the green and gold.
 
Saint Vincent will now await to learn who it will face in the opening round of the PAC Championship Tournament, which gets underway at UPMC Field at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 28.
 
The Bearcats wrapped up conference play with 20 points in the league standings, and currently sit in third place. Their eyes will be on Wednesday's match between Grove City and Washington & Jefferson. Should the match end in a draw or a Grove City victory, the Bearcats will lock up the No. 3 seed in the tournament and host No. 6 Franciscan in Saturday's opener. If W&J defeats Grove City, Saint Vincent will be the No. 4 seed and host No. 5 Waynesburg.