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Syracuse, N.Y. - Sophomore back Bryce Martin (Cazenovia, N.Y./Chittenango) and junior forward Angelo Reina (Frankfort, N.Y./Utica Notre Dame) scored 55 seconds apart early in the second half to lead the 10th-ranked Le Moyne College men's soccer team to its second Northeast-10 Conference Championship with a 2-1 win over Southern Connecticut State on Saturday afternoon at the Thomas J. Niland Athletic Complex. With the victory, the Dolphins clinch the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

After playing a scoreless first half, the Dolphins got on the board twice in the opening 11 minutes of the second stanza. Martin took a long pass from junior midfielder Domenico Vitale (Liverpool, N.Y./Cicero-North Syracuse), side-stepped his defender and fired a shot at the goal. The ball hit off the upper body of an Owls defender and deflected just out of the reach of goalkeeper Chris Rybacki for his second goal of the season.

Just 55 seconds later, Reina doubled the lead for the Dolphins. Sophomore midfielder Marcus Debottis (Cicero, N.Y./Cicero-North Syracuse) collected a loose ball in his defensive half of the field and cleared the ball up field. After a Southern Connecticut defender tried to head the ball back to Rybacki, Reina intercepted the pass and chipped the bouncing ball from 22 yards out over Rybacki and into the goal for his 17th tally of the season.

The Owls had an opportunity to score at the 66:19 mark, but senior goalkeeper Steve White (Cortland, N.Y./Cortland) punched Harry Appiah's 12-yard shot over the crossbar. Southern Connecticut was able to cut its deficit in half with a goal off the foot of Jason Villagomez with just 1:19 remaining. Villagomez lifted a bouncing ball into the upper left corner of the goal from 12 yards for his second marker of the season. Following a foul on the Dolphins with 11 seconds remaining, Yoni Feldman had a free kick from 25 yards out, but his shot was stopped by White to preserve the victory.

Each team totaled seven shots in the contest, while the Owls posted a 3-2 advantage in corner kicks. White finished the contest with five saves, while Rybacki turned away a pair of shots. Reina, White and tournament Most Outstanding Player Josh Mabee (Clifton Park, N.Y./Shenendehowa) were selected to the Northeast-10 Conference All-Tournament Team.

Le Moyne (17-2-2), which won the 2005 Northeast-10 Conference Championship with a 1-0 win at Franklin Pierce, ties the program's record for wins in a season (17), which was previously set by the 2004 team (17-2-1). NCAA Tournament pairings will be announced at ncaa.com on Monday night at 7:00 p.m.

-agate-

#10 Le Moyne 2, Southern Connecticut State 1
Southern Connecticut State (14-5-1)             0          1          -           1
#10 Le Moyne (17-2-2)                                    0          2          -           2

Southern Connecticut State (14-5-1): SCORING: Jason Villagomez 1-0. GOALKEEPING: Chris Rybacki (L, 90:00, 2 GA, 2 saves).

#10 Le Moyne (17-2-2): SCORING: Bryce Martin 1-0, Angelo Reina 1-0, Marcus Debottis 0-1. GOALKEEPING: Steve White (W, 90:00, 1 GA, 5 saves).