PHILADELPHIA (04/12/03) -- It was a senior day that Alex Heidenberger will remember for a long time. The Hawk attack man took a pass from junior Mark Lipscomb and rocketed a shot just under the stick of VMI keeper Brian Ward with just 1:51 left in overtime to give Saint Joseph's (5-6, 5-1 MAAC) an 8-7 win. The victory clinched a conference playoff berth for SJU, the fourth time in the last five years that the Hawks will appear in the MAAC playoffs. VMI (3-7, 3-3 MAAC), who has lost by one goal in its last four contests, rallied back from a 6-4 deficit late in the second half and forced overtime with a man-up goal by Will Collier with just 15 seconds remaining. St. Joe's controlled the overtime face-off and held possession for the entire two minutes of extra play, setting up for Heidenberger's heroics. A large crowd took advantage of a perfect Saturday for lacrosse and wasn't disappointed. Both teams battled back from deficits and Saint Joseph's was able to overcome nine penalties to earn its second consecutive victory. The Keydets' Leo McInerney helped put VMI up 4-1 early by scoring two goals in the first quarter. The Hawks responded with five unanswered goals, two by Heidenberger, to take a 6-4 lead. Senior Chris Spay scored the first of his two goals in the run and freshmen Keegan Wilkinson and Chris Ortel added one apiece. VMI scored two consecutive goals, the last at the 7:05 mark of the fourth quarter to even the score at six. Spay then took a pass from Wilkinson and scored what was thought to be the game-winner with 6:24 to go. But Collier's goal sent VMI, a MAAC newcomer this season, into overtime hoping to break its streak of three one-goal losses. Heidenberger, who had a hat trick on the day, had different plans for his final game on Finnesey Field. Besides Heidenberger and Spay, seniors Matt Durkin, Kevin Ford, Derek Glitz, and Sean Matthews all started their final home game. Sophomore Dan Morrissey made eight stops in the cage, while Ward made 17 saves. SJU held a 37-17 advantage in shots and won 13 of 18 face offs. The Hawks will now aim for a MAAC regular season championship with two conference games remaining. SJU travels to Mt. St. Mary's on Saturday for a 2 p.m. face off.