Brookville, N.Y. – It was a dominating effort by the LIU Post men's lacrosse team as the Pioneers dismantled Mercy College, 19-7 to advance to the East Coast Conference title game May 2 at Bethpage Federal Credit Union Stadium.
 
The Pioneers advance to Saturday's championship contest at President's Stadium against the New York Institute of Technology.
 
Junior Thomas Liantonio led the effort with five goals and freshman William Snelders chipped in four tallies for the Pioneers. 11 different players found the back of the net for the Green and Gold, including sophomore Dan Foley who scored his first two goals of the season. The Pioneers finished a perfect 4-for-4 on man-up opportunities on the day. Junior Bryan Ochs made nine saves to earn the win.
 
Liantonio gave LIU Post the lead just 23 seconds into the contest and the Pioneers scored twice in seven seconds late in the period to help take a 4-1 lead after the first stanza. The Mavericks cut the deficit to two goals with a strike at the 8:13 mark of the second quarter, but the Pioneers exploded for 11 unanswered tallies to break the game open.
 
Mercy did not score again until the first minute of the fourth quarter but it was far too late for the Mavericks, and the Pioneers eventually held on for the 12-goal victory.
 
The ECC title will be determined in a Battle of the Boulevard matchup between the Pioneers and No. 1 seed NYIT on Saturday, May 5. The Green and Gold will make the half-mile trip to the neighboring campus for a 3:00 p.m. showdown. A preview of the contest will be available on www.liupostpioneers.com Friday.

Provided by the LIU Post Sports Information Department.