RADNOR, PA – The Cabrini took the first step in defense of its 2015 Colonial States Athletic Conference title with tonight's 3-0 win over the visiting Gwynedd Mercy University Griffins.  

With tonight's win, the Cavaliers, the third seed in the CSAC Tournament, advance to Thursday's semifinal round, where they will face number two seed Immaculata (12-5-1).

The Blue and White improved to 11-6-1 with its fourth consecutive victory, while the Griffins fell to 9-11 with tonight's season ending loss.

Senior A.J. Bishop provided the Cavaliers' offense tonight, as the senior matched career highs with three goals and six points.  With tonight's hat trick, Bishop joins a rare group, as he is now one of just 12 active players among Divisions I, II and III to score at least 50 career goals.

Bishop also moved into second place in CSAC history with 51 goals, while his 121 career points are good for third in league history.

Cabrini took a slim lead midway through the first half, as a Gwynedd Mercy foul in the penalty area gave the Cavaliers a penalty kick. Bishop deposited the ball in to the net for his first goal of the evening.

Despite a 7-4 advantage in first half shots, the Blue and White held its slim 1-0 lead at the break.

The pace and intensity turned up a notch as the team's took the pitch for the decisive second half.  Both teams created solid scoring chances as the action went end to end.

The score remained 1-0 until the 82nd minute, when junior Diego Ramirez slotted a short through pas to Bishop for his second goal of the night.

Both teams continued to fight for the next goal, the Griffins seeking to get on the board, while the Blue and White looking to seal the win.

While both goaltenders recorded a save over the next several minutes, Cabrini beat Gwynedd Mercy to the score sheet, as senior Bobby Kane chipped a pass over the goal area to a charging Bishop's forehead with just seconds remaining in the match.

Cabrini outshot the Griffins 18-8, including 11-4 in the second half. Bishop and fellow senior John Underwood recorded four shots each, one more than freshman Christopher Araujo.

Senior goaltender C.J. Serratore notched four saves, including a pair of bouncing balls just inches from the goal line, to earn his eighth shutout of the season and extend his shutout streak to 274 minutes.

Senior Chris Black led Gwynedd Mercy with three saves, while classmate Hunter Bishop added two.  Junior goaltender Ryan Oyola tallied three saves in the loss.

In tonight's other first round match, number five seed Neumann (8-11) scored with eight seconds left in regulation to escape with a 2-1 win at number four seed Keystone.  Neumann will visit top seeded Centenary (11-5-1) in Thursday's other semifinal.