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WALTHAM, Mass. – A week after closing out the regular season with a seven-game winning streak, the Bentley University Falcons will begin their bid for their first Northeast-10 Conference playoff title since 2009 on Saturday with an 11 am encounter with UMass-Lowell at Merrimack College.

Saturday's winner will advance to Sunday's 12 noon final against the winner of the second semifinal, regular season champion Merrimack against number four Adelphi University.

This will be the third meeting of the year between Bentley and UMass-Lowell, two teams who could conceivably meet again next month in the NCAA Division II Championships if the current North Region rankings hold. Currently, Lowell is second in the region behind Merrimack, and the Falcons are number three. Stonehill College, the number four team in the region, was bounced from the conference playoffs by UMass-Lowell Wednesday night, 3-1.

The Falcons, currently ninth in this week's NFHCA Division II rankings, and the sixth-ranked River Hawks tied for second in the NE-10 during the regular season with Bentley's 2-0 win over Lowell on Oct. 4 the reason coach Jessica Spencer's club earned the second seed. That victory launched the current winning streak for the Falcons and avenged an earlier 6-0 non-conference loss to the River Hawks.

Bentley, unbeaten in regulation since mid-September (a string of 12 games), has seen seven different players score at least once over the last four games. Senior Beth Maguire (Medfield/Medfield HS), a first-team All-Northeast-10 honoree, and sophomore Gina Lirange (Auburn/Auburn HS) are the team's top scoring threats with nine and eight goals, respectively.

Freshman Meghan Talerman (Centerville/Barnstable HS) follows with six goals, and classmate Sally James (Mequon, Wisc./University School of Milwaukee HS) has emerged of late, with her first three goals as a collegian coming during the last three games.

The Falcon defense, which has allowed only 11 goals in regulation in its last 12 games, is led by second-team All-Conference defender Melissa Martorelli (Holmdel, N.J./Holmdel HS) and senior goalie Julia Powell (Southbury, Conn./Pomperaug HS). Martorelli has also contributed a goal and four assists at the offensive end, and Powell has a 1.72 goals against average and five shutouts.

UMass-Lowell features Northeast-10 Player of the Year Rachel McCarthy, who has a conference-best 24 goals. Melissa Effertz and Bianca Jones are also scoring threats, with 14 and 11 goals, respectively, and goalie Melanie Hopkins has been the stingiest in the NE-10 with a 0.86 goals against average.

The Falcons and River Hawks last met in the NE-10 playoffs in 2009 when Bentley posted a 1-0 semifinal win en route to its record ninth championship. All-time, the two rivals have met in the conference tournament seven times previously with Lowell holding a 4-3 edge. With the exception of a tie in 2005, either Bentley or UMass-Lowell has won every NE-10 playoff championship since the event's inception in 1996. 

PENN MONTO/NFHCA DIV. II NATIONAL COACHES POLL