Syracuse, N.Y. – Connor Mote scored five and one-half minutes into the second half to lead eighth-seeded Bentley University to a 2-1 victory over the fifth-seeded Le Moyne College men's soccer team in the Northeast-10 Conference Championships semifinals on Friday afternoon at Ted Grant Field.
 
The Dolphins finish the season with an 11-5-3 record and appeared in the NE10 Championships for the 17th consecutive season, the second-longest active streak in the conference.

The Falcons had a chance to get on the scoreboard just 20 seconds into the contest, but Julian Stewart's shot from the right side went just outside the far left post.

Following seven shots between the teams, only one of which was on goal and saved by Le Moyne goalkeeper Ben Beaury (Cohoes, N.Y./LaSalle Institute), the Dolphins netted the game's first goal. Off a free kick from the left side, redshirt senior midfielder Marcello Palucci (Miami, Fla./Gulliver Prep/Florida International) served the ball to the top of the goal box, where freshman back Patrick Strauss (Lakewood, Ohio/St. Ignatius) was able to poke the ball into the lower left side of the net at the 19:41 mark for his second collegiate goal.

Bentley answered back just five minutes later to knot the score at one apiece. After carrying the ball down the right side, Stewart crossed the ball into the middle of the penalty box. Sean Sullivan ran onto the ball and was able to slip a shot from six yards out into the middle of the net at the 24:39 mark for his third tally of the campaign.

Each team took two shots over the final 19 minutes of the half, but neither team was able to score.

The Falcons scored the winning goal just 5:26 into the second half. Eric Spangler took the ball down the right side before sending a pass to the top of the penalty box. Mote settled the ball and fired a shot into the upper right corner of the net for his first goal of the year.

The teams traded shots on goal in the 55th and 56th minutes, but the goalkeepers were able to turn the shots away.

Le Moyne had a chance to even the score at the 80:28 mark, but a volley by senior midfielder Adam Resetarits (Jamesville, N.Y./Jamesville-DeWitt) from the right side was pushed away by goalkeeper David Price.

The Dolphins thought they tied the score with 1:25 remaining, but Strauss was ruled offsides on a free kick by Palucci. The same thing happened in Bentley's favor, at almost the exact same time, against Adelphi on Tuesday in the quarterfinals.

Le Moyne was unable to get off another shot before time expired.

Beaury finished his 76th and final collegiate game with four saves, including two in each half. The 76 games are the seventh-most in the program's history, while his 76 starts are tied for the third-most. He is second among goalkeepers in both categories. Price tallied both of his saves in the second half to earn his fifth win of the year. Le Moyne recorded a 14-10 advantage in shots, while taking six of the game's nine corner kicks.