We had an entire week to recover from Senior Day and begin preparing for our final Regular Season Game, on Saturday at St. Thomas Aquinas (STAC), in Sparkill, NY. And if the truth be told, we also were preparing for the post season. Not that we were looking past STAC, but they are not a strong team and without sounding conceited, we were pretty confident we would come out on top.

We had a good week of practice and the mood of the squad was somehow different. With the playoffs no longer on the distant horizon, our focus was sharper, the pace was quicker and the “Three E’s” (remember them? Energy, Effort and Enthusiasm), were abundantly present!

We were granted a smooth exit from Long Island, by the Traffic Gods, and cruised up to the scenic STAC Campus, via the beautiful Palisades Parkway, making it there in just over an hour! By then, an annoying intermittent rain, had begun to fall.

The Lions looked sharp from the game’s onset and never looked back. I was mostly happy with how we “executed” (the 4th E), despite the disparity in skill level, of the two teams. With more than three minutes remaining in the first quarter, we had already opened up an 11 – 1 lead (a ten goal lead triggers a “running clock”).

The rest of the game would be more of the same, as a total of nine Lions, found the back of the net, and everyone got playing time! I have to give the STAC players some credit, here. They never stopped competing and despite the lopsided score, they all seemed to be enjoying themselves. When the final buzzer sounded, the score was 21 – 7. During the post game handshake, at least one STAC player wished us good luck in the playoffs!

The return trip to Long Island was not without some traffic delays, but with another victory on the board and the start of the playoffs now brought into focus, it did not seem so bad. All that was left, was the Mercy vs. Roberts Wesleyan Game on Sunday (today) to determine the seedings and venues for the ECC Playoffs.

So, this morning, the Lady Lions gathered on campus to watch the Live Stream of that contest, at 11am!

There were a number of different playoff scenarios that could occur, depending on the winner, as well as the goal differential. A Victory by RWU would land Molloy in the #2 spot and thus, a first round, Home Playoff Game. Alas, that was not to be, as Mercy ended up winning 10 – 8, just a big enough margin to land us in the 3 seed, meaning the Lions will travel to Rochester, to face RWU on Wednesday.

While this was definitely not the scenario of choice, for us. To win the Conference Championship, we knew, we would have to beat both, Mercy (again) and RWU. In a season that has had its share of disappointment early, these Lady Lions roar into this post season, on a 7 game winning streak! We are healthy and have been playing our best lacrosse, of late!

GO LIONS!