READING (PA) – The Delaware Valley College women's soccer team tied a school record for wins in a season and also locked up the second seed and a home game in next week's Freedom Conference playoffs with a 2-0 blanking of host Alvernia University.

The Aggies were picked to finish sixth in the preseason coaches' poll, but will host their first-ever home postseason game instead thanks a 6-2 mark in Freedom play. For the first time in conference history, the top five teams qualify for the playoffs with the number four and five seeds meeting for a play-in game on Monday, November 3. The semifinals will then place at Delaware Valley as well as No. 1 Eastern University on Wednesday, November 5 (opponents and time TBA) with the championship game slated at the highest seed remaining on Saturday, November 8 (time TBA). The Freedom Conference postseason champion earns an automatic berth to the NCAA Division III playoffs – a feat that has never been accomplished by a Delaware Valley women's team.

The victory over Alvernia (6-12, 1-6 Freedom) also improved the Aggies' overall record to 12-3-1 to match the totals from the 1997 (12-7) and 1998 (12-4-1). The current edition still has one regular season remaining as they host Lebanon Valley College for a non-conference game this Saturday.

Delaware Valley scored both of its goals in the first half despite going into the wind which gusted up to as much as 40 miles per hour. The first tally came with 17:30 remaining in the stanza as Elise Carpenter crossed a ball from the left side of the field to the far side of the box. Sam Loeber touched it across the goal mouth where Johanna Lovallo finished her seventh goal of the season.

The Aggies then scored in similar fashion just six minutes later. This time, Emily Perryman crossed the ball from the left side and the ball went again to Loeber. Loeber found Elise Dauber and the reigning Freedom Conference Player of the Year netted her league-best 17th goal of the year.

Delaware Valley held a 5-3 lead in shots in the first half and then dominated the second stanza with a 10-0 advantage. Cortney Bower stopped two shots to pick up her fifth solo shutout. Kirstin Kelley made nine saves at the other end for the Crusaders.