LATE SCORING LIFTS BENTLEY OVER MEN’S SOCCER, 3-1

Box Score vs. Bentley - September 2, 2008

WALTHAM, Mass. (Sept. 2, 2008) - Knotted at 1-all with just under 10 minutes to go in regulation, Bentley College scored a pair to hand the Molloy College men's soccer team a 3-1 defeat on Tuesday afternoon in Waltham, Mass. With the decision, the Lions drop to 0-3 on the year. As for the Falcons, they go to 2-0 overall.

Bentley took the lead for good in the 81st-minute when junior midfielder Harris Smriko (Ewing, N.J.) was fouled inside the box and was awarded a penalty kick. He then put a shot past the diving Molloy senior goalkeeper Ettore Morelli (North Bellmore, N.Y.) to give the hosts a 2-1 lead. Smriko also added two shots on goal, which led all players.

Eight minutes later, the game was put out of reach as junior midfielder Jared Joaquin (North Andover, Mass.) tallied his first goal of the season on a feed from sophomore goaltender Michael Nikiforov (Framingham, Mass.), who turned aside a game-high five shots. On the play, Nikiforov sent a long ball to a breaking Joaquin for the goal.

In the first half, the Falcons got things going just inside the 21st-minute as sophomore midfielder Mike Lipsett (Walpole, Mass.) posted a goal off a rebound that originated from a shot, which came from the left wing by sophomore midfielder Aaron Hopkins (Billerica, Mass.). The Lions responded at the 15:45 mark when senior midfielder William Bell (Valley Stream, N.Y.) struck the inside netting on a penalty kick.

Morelli made three saves for Molloy, which held a 7-4 advantage in corner kicks. As for Bentley, it owned a 17-11 margin in shots. Senior midfielder Michael Topel (Levittown, N.Y.) and sophomore midfielder Jose Batista (Valley Stream, N.Y.) each took a team-leading three shots for the Lions.

Head Coach Danny Longo and his squad return to action this Saturday when they head to Millersville, Pa. for a match under the lights at Millersville University. Kick-off is slated for 7:30 p.m.