Written by: Phillip St.Pierre

After losing two straight games this past week, Bentley Lacrosse has skidded, following a great start to the season. The Falcons are currently sitting third in the Northeast-10, and with the first- and second-place spots all but locked up, Bentley will look to end the season strong and solidify themselves as a playoff contender.

Although Bentley has lost their past two games, it is not something that the Falcons should stress over as the two teams that handed them defeat, Le Moyne and Merrimack, are the first- and second-place teams in the Northeast-10.

The match against Merrimack was important because a win for the Falcons would keep them at second place in the conference, while a loss would mean Bentley would fall to third to their opponent in the rankings.

Goals were flying in the first quarter as Bentley and Merrimack each scored three to keep the game tied going into the second. Junior Steve Murray gave Bentley the lead as he found the back of the net early in the second quarter, but Merrimack rallied three straight goals to go into halftime up 6-4.

Brendan Grant scored the single third-quarter goal to pull Bentley within one, as the rest of the third quarter saw stellar defense and goaltending by both teams. However, that would be the last goal scored by the Falcons for the remainder of the match though, as Merrimack outscored Bentley 3-0 in the fourth to go on to earn the 9-5 victory.

Bentley would not be given much of a break following the game as they had to immediately start preparing for their upcoming match against Le Moyne, who is undefeated so far this season and is sitting atop the Northeast-10 standings.

Although Bentley lost to Merrimack, it was still an important game in that it gave the Falcons an idea of how they need to play to make it far in the Northeast-10. It also prepared them for their upcoming match against Le Moyne, which would end up going down to the wire.

The Dolphins controlled the first half of the game and showed why they have not lost a match the whole year. Le Moyne went into halftime up 7-3, but Bentley refocused themselves during the intermission and came out as a team motivated to bounce back.

Le Moyne was the first to strike in the third quarter, extending their lead to five goals, but sophomore James Reardon quickly responded with an outstanding shot and goal. The scores kept on coming for Bentley after that, as Wyatt Couture and Addi Van Hatcher both tallied third-quarter goals to pull the Falcons within two.

Brendan Grant made it four straight goals for the Falcons as he made it past the goalie less than a minute into the fourth quarter, and Bentley found themselves right back in the game, down only 8-7. Le Moyne then responded with a goal less than five minutes later, but Steve Murray would cut the deficit back to one after scoring a goal off an exceptional feed from Addi Van Hatcher.

Bentley then got a much-needed turnover from defenseman Matt Allen, who scooped up the groundball to give the Falcons possession with less than a minute left. The Falcons were not able to find the net, though, and Le Moyne squeaked by for the 9-8 victory.

Bentley may have lost the game, but they outshot their opponents 38-34 and made a statement to the rest of the conference after almost beating the first-place team.

The Falcons have had a solid start to the season, currently holding a record of 5-3, which is good enough for third in the Northeast-10.

A large part of Bentley’s success can be attributed to the senior leadership, as Kevin Gould is leading the team with 26 points from 11 goals and 15 assists, Andy Collette is having a spectacular year in goal, and defensemen Matt Allen and Adam Brazg have been setting the tone for the Falcons on defense.

There are three games left in the regular season for the Falcons, and they face three conference games against St. Michael’s, Pace, and Adelphi, teams that are right on Bentley’s heels in the Northeast-10 rankings.

If the Falcons continue to play smart, unselfish lacrosse on offense and win the turnover and groundball ratios on defense, they have the ability to contend with any team. The remaining season should be an exciting one, as Bentley Lacrosse fans watch their team close out the regular season and battle in the postseason.