Brookville, N.Y. - On Wednesday, the No. 5/6 and top-seeded LIU Post men's lacrosse team defeated No. 10/11 and fourth-seeded Molloy, 15-7, in the semifinals of the 2015 East Coast Conference Championship at Bethpage Federal Credit Union Stadium.
Behind a five-save performance in the opening quarter by junior goalie Adam Winne (Ridgefield, Conn.), the Pioneers (13-2) jumped out to a 4-0 advantage after 15 minutes of play. Junior attackman Matt Bellando (Miami, Fla.) provided a goal and a pair of assists in the period. Senior attackman Chris Caiazza (Lindenhurst, N.Y.) and junior midfielder Anthony Berardis (Mahopac, N.Y.) each added an even-strength tally.
In the second quarter, Molloy's (11-4) Joe Leonard (Hicksville, N.Y.) struck for back-to-back goals in a stint of 1:01 to cut the deficit in half. LIU Post answered though, as senior midfielder Connor Drost (Wading River, N.Y.) and Caiazza scored just 30 seconds apart to re-gain the four-goal cushion (6-2) for the green and gold.
The Pioneers eventually carried a 9-5 lead into the break. Drost and junior attackman Matty Beccaris (North Babylon, N.Y.) both found the back of the cage in the final 21 seconds of the half to close out a back-and-forth period.
In the third quarter, it was the play of senior face-off specialist Dan Jeannotte (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) that helped the hosts seal the victory. Jeannotte, who was 13-of-23 on draws for the afternoon, won 4-of-5 in the session. Behind those four wins at the faceoff "X", LIU Post again outscored Molloy by a 4-0 count to widen their lead to a commanding 13-5.
Jeannotte accounted for one of the tallies, his first collegiate goal, at the 12:54 mark of the period. Only eight seconds earlier, Berardis got the scoring started in the latter half. Caiazza, who finished with a game-high four goals, tacked on a man-up goal with 8:16 to go.
Bellando and Berardis collected a game-high five points (3 G, 2 A) apiece. Beccaris and Drost both amassed two goals and two assists for a four-point day. Senior defenseman Matt Scalera (Port Jefferson Station, N.Y.) scooped up five ground balls and caused one turnover. Red-shirt sophomore defenseman Nick Ancona (Great River, N.Y.) totaled four ground balls. Senior defenseman Robbie Chiocco (Massapequa, N.Y.) forced two Molloy turnovers.
Between the pipes, Winne made a game-high 15 saves for the Pioneers. His counterpart, Ryan Toomey (Hicksville, N.Y.), stood tall for seven stops for Molloy. Overall, LIU Post held a 30-25 edge in ground balls and was 2-of-5 with the extra-man opportunity. The green and gold also held the Lions to a 1-for-8 performance on the man-up.
Head Coach John Jez and the Pioneers now await the winner of the second ECC Championship semifinal between No. 2 seed NYIT and third-seeded Mercy. The victor of that game will square off with LIU Post for the league title on Saturday at Dowling's Golden Lions Field in Brookhaven, N.Y. The opening faceoff is slated for 3 p.m.
Provided by the LIU Post Sports Information Department.
