Sally James
Sally James

Cuevas, Adelphi End Bentley’s Season in NE-10 First Round, 6-2

GARDEN CITY, N.Y. – Junior midfielder Molly Cuevas (San Jose, Calif.) scored four times and assisted on another as Adelphi University netted three goals in each half en route to a 6-2 win over Bentley University in the first round of the Northeast-10 Conference Championships Tuesday afternoon at Motamed Field.

Adelphi, the third seed, improved to 14-5 and will advance to play at second-seeded Stonehill College in the semis Thursday afternoon. Sixth-seeded Bentley had its four-game winning streak halted and finished the season at 10-9.

The day started out on a positive note for the Falcons with junior Sally James (Milwaukee, Wisc./Univ. School of Milwaukee) scoring off a penalty corner at 8:31 of the first half. She picked up a deflected ball and scooped it over the goalie into the top of the cage.

The lead lasted less than a minute with Panther junior Mary Plotas (Brookville, Md.) scoring her 24th of the year following a scramble in front of the net at 9:29.

A little less than ten minutes later, following Adelphi's fourth penalty corner in two-and-a-half minutes, junior Kristen Bagley (Holbrook, N.Y.) took a pass from Cuevas and sent it past Bentley junior goalie Katie Kelley (Walpole, Mass./Walpole HS) for a 2-1 lead.

Cuevas made it a 3-1 game at the break after scoring an unassisted goal in the final minute of the opening half. Her final three goals came in the second half, all in a span of 7:01. Her goal at 49:40 made it 4-0 and she also scored at 52:47 and 56:41.

Bentley's second goal of the afternoon was scored by freshman Eva Michaliszyn (Media, Pa./ Penncrest) in the 55th minute. It marked the third straight game she's put the ball in the cage and it gave her four for the season.

Adelphi finished with a 22-8 shot advantage and had five more penalty corners, 11-6. Panther goalie Kelly Serrao (Lake Hiawatha, N.J.) had just one save in the win while Kelley turned away seven shots for the Falcons.

Bentley loses just one senior from this year's team, leading scorer Gina Lirange (Auburn, Mass./ Auburn HS). She finished the season with 10 goals and five assists, and her final career numbers were 33 goals and 15 assists for 81 points.