First-year midfielder Chandler Short headed a Mark Provost cross into the upper right 90 in the 88th minute to help the No. 9 Saints remain unbeaten in the Liberty League and finish out the regular season with a 2-1 win over Clarkson on Sandy MacAllaster Field.

Senior Jamal Samaroo also scored for the Saints on Saturday recording his first goal of the season and the first goal by a Saints forward since Sept. 23 against Plattsburgh on senior day for St. Lawrence. Samaroo and classmates Provost, Jeremiah Bunton, Austin Roney, Sars Bowman and Aaron Costello were recognized for their contributions to the program in a pregame ceremony.

As the number one seed heading in to the playoffs the Saints (14-2-1, 7-0-1 in the Liberty League) will play host to the No. 4 seed, Hobart, in a Liberty League semifinal game on Wednesday, Nov. 5 on Sandy MacAllaster Field.

"This is a very difficult league to play in. I'm proud of the guys to finish the regular season unbeaten," Head Coach Bob Durocher said. "They have played so many games on the road this year, so I'm happy they earned the right to start postseason play at home."

The Saints were dominant offensively and kept Clarkson pinned in its defensive end for much of the afternoon, outshooting the Golden Knights 32-2; playing their possession style and controlling the pace of the game. But as a unit, Clarkson's defense blocked a number of St. Lawrence opportunities and goalkeeper Michael King came up with big saves from close range to keep his team in the game.

"We had some chances that we didn't finish," Durocher said, "but give Clarkson some credit; Coach Taylor has a very good game plan and his team executed it well. It was very difficult to get in behind his defense. Fortunately, as in many games this year, the team's perseverance paid off and they found a way to win."

After a scoreless first half, Samaroo and the Saints came out firing on all cylinders in the second when the Brooklyn, N.Y. native volleyed the ball across his body from the corner of the six to give the Saints a 1-0 lead in the 48th minute. Junior captain Dan Hunt started the play with a cross from the right sideline that found the head of sophomore Rob Brandell. Brandell's header landed right at the feet of Samaroo for the finish.

The Saints defense was impenetrable for the first 80 minutes, keeping Clarkson off the score sheet in every offensive category as they didn't allow a shot, concede a corner or allow a Golden Knight free kick opportunity in the attacking third.

But in the 82nd minute, Clarkson was awarded a free kick from 30 yards out near the corner of the box and captain Marco Parisi found the head of Alex Lewis in the box on the set piece. Lewis redirected the ball high under the crossbar in the middle of the net and behind St. Lawrence goalkeeper Aaron Costello to tie the game at 1-1.

With time winding down, junior back Christian Yarros played the ball forward to Provost along the left sideline after Clarkson had cleared away a corner by the senior captain. Provost took the pass in stride and hit a quick cross into the box where Short was waiting on the penalty marker to head the ball home for the game-winning tally. The goal is the fourth of the season for the rookie and his third game winner.

Costello, making his second consecutive start for the Saints, finished with one save for the Saints, while King finished with five stops for Clarkson (7-10-1, 2-6-0 in the Liberty League). The Golden Knights defense also recorded a team save in the loss.