Brookville, N.Y. - The No. 6/7 and top-seeded LIU Post men's lacrosse team used a third-quarter surge Wednesday to beat 13th-ranked and fourth-seeded Mercy College, 12-10, in an East Coast Conference Championship semifinal at Bethpage Federal Credit Union Stadium.
Tied 8-8 midway through the third period, the Pioneers (11-3) scored three unanswered goals in a span of 4:26 to grab their largest lead of the day at 11-8 with 3:06 remaining.
Sophomore midfielder Dylan Harned (Selden, N.Y.) fired a bounce shot towards the cage for the go-ahead tally. Senior attackman Matt Bellando (Miami, Fla.) and senior attackman/midfielder Ryan Slane (North Babylon, N.Y.) padded the hosts' lead with even-strength goals.
The Mavericks (9-6) responded though, on the strength of back-to-back unassisted goals from junior midfielder Nick Wilcox (Hamburg, N.Y.). That closed the gap to 11-10 at the 11:14 mark of the fourth quarter.
Mercy nearly re-tied the game late, but a sprawling save by senior goaltender Adam Winne (Ridgefield, Conn.) on a shot from the doorstep by Connor McLachlan (Albany, N.Y.) kept LIU Post in front.
Slane, who had a game-high five goals in the win, then finished the job for the Pioneers, as he ripped a shot into an empty net with 1:04 remaining to secure the green and gold's spot in the ECC Championship final.
Despite being outshot 14-9 in the first quarter, LIU Post attempted 30 shots to Mercy's 13 over the final 45 minutes. The Pioneers also held a 29-18 advantage in ground balls and converted 9-of-10 (90.0 percent) clears in the contest.
Junior midfielder Anthony Galeotafiore (Wantagh, N.Y.) was 19-of-25 (76.0 percent) on faceoffs and scooped up 15 ground balls in the process.
Between the pipes, freshman goalie Bryan Ochs (Syosset, N.Y.) made five saves in 42:44 of work for the victory. Senior goalie A.J. Pellati (West Islip, N.Y.) and sophomore cageminder Michael Schneider (West Babylon, N.Y.) combined to stop 10 shots for the Mavericks.
Head Coach John Jez and his LIU Post squad now advance to Saturday's (May 7) final, where they will face No. 7/8 and second-seeded New York Institute of Technology in a re-match of last year's title game at Bethpage Federal Credit Union Stadium. The opening faceoff is slated for 3 p.m.
Provided by the LIU Post Sports Information Department.
