Bentley Lacrosse looking to climb back up NE-10 standings

Written by: Robbie LaBrie

This has been a season of streaks for the Men’s Lacrosse team, but this time they are finally hoping they’ve hit a run they can stay on, winning their last two games over Saint Michael’s and Pace.

After getting off to a 5-1 overall start (4-0 in conference), the Falcons dropped two games in a row to Merrimack and Le Moyne respectively, the two top teams in the Northeast-10.

The Falcons played hard in both games, going up against the two teams to beat in the conference. While they showed they have what it takes to compete with the powerhouses, Bentley came away with two losses.

Fortunately, Bentley rebounded nicely with a couple of wins and now sits back in third place in the NE-10 standings, within range of Merrimack and Le Moyne, should either team falter during the rest of the season.

The Falcons travelled to Colchester, Vermont to try to get back to their winning ways on April 21. They got the victory, but it didn’t come easy.

This match started slowly, with Saint Michael’s netting the only goal in the first quarter. But the Falcons responded quickly, going off with a flurry of goals to earn a 5-3 lead at intermission.

The Falcons had expanded their lead to 8-4 by the middle of the third quarter, but Saint Michael’s was not ready to give up yet.The Purple Knights reeled off the next four goals in the game, making it an 8-8 tie about halfway through the fourth quarter.

After the two sides swapped goals, making it 9-9, sophomore attack Brendan Grant mustered some late game heroics for the Falcons, finding the back of the net with only 1:09 remaining in the game. There would be no more scoring while Bentley held on to a 10-9 win.

Sophomore James Reardon led the charge for the Falcons in the 10-goal effort, scoring four himself, while senior Kevin Gould helped out his teammates with three assists.

The Falcons carried some of that much needed momentum over into the next game where they took on Pace at home in Waltham.

Pace sits in the middle of the pack in the NE-10, so it was not exactly slated to be an easy game for Bentley, but they took care of business.

Senior goalie Andy Collette shined in this one, making 12 saves against the Setters, while the offense was powered by a balanced attack that saw four different players score two goals apiece.

Reardon, Stephen Moulton, Wyatt Couture, and Matt Boilard each netted themselves a pair of goals in the game that the Falcons held control of most of the way.

The Falcons led 4-2 at the half, but at one point in the second half, Pace got the game as close as 7-6. However, Bentley managed to score the next three goals to put it out of reach for Pace heading into the fourth quarter.

The fourth-quarter defense was solid and Reardon and Boilard each scored in the quarter to help Bentley hold on for a 12-8 win.

James Reardon was mentioned in the NE-10 weekly Honor Roll, which names the best players of the week, for his performances against Saint Michael’s and Pace.

The Falcons, now sitting in third in the NE-10, will look to finish strong in their last two regular season matchups.

First, Bentley will take on Saint Anselm in a game that was supposed to be played earlier in the year, but was postponed. Saint A’s is currently in a three-way tie for fourth in the conference at 5-3 in NE-10 play, but they are coming in hot, having won four of their last five games. They will certainly be looking to protect their house when the Falcons travel to Manchester.

The Falcons will then finish their season with another away match, this time against Adelphi. Adelphi comes into this game tied for fourth in the NE-10, as well, and they have won their last four games in a row.

So the Falcons now look to one of the toughest two-game stretches they have had to face all year in order to keep their seed in the NE-10 Tournament.

The Falcons are not likely to move any higher up the standings, with Le Moyne and Merrimack playing great lacrosse right now, but they should be peaking back because Adelphi, Saint Anselm and Pace are on their tails, and any of those teams would love to move into that three spot.

If the Falcons continue to play the way they have this past week and carry some momentum into their last two games, they should be able to hang on and get ready to step up their game for the Conference Tournament.