NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Sophomore Weston Zeiner (North Granby, Conn./Granby Memorial) made the winning penalty kick as third seeded Bentley University advanced to the finals of the Northeast-10 Men's Soccer Championship with a 5-3 win in penalties over second seeded Southern Connecticut.

The Falcons advance to the NE-10 finals for the first time since 1994, the last time they won the conference title. They will play the tournament's top seed and the number one team in the country Franklin Pierce for the championship on Sunday afternoon in Rindge,N.H. The Ravens defeated fourth seeded Le Moyne 1-0 in the other semifinal.

The game went into penalties tied 2-2, and Bentley made all of its kicks to take the win. The Falcons went first, and freshman Cody Osgood (Harvard, Mass./Bromfield School) converted. Graduate student goalie Mike Nikiforov (Framingham, Mass./Framingham) then denied Ross McGibney on the Owls' first try to give the Falcons an early advantage.

Both teams made their next three kicks to make it 4-3 for the Falcons heading into the final round. Zeiner then delivered, beating Owls goalie Andrew Esposito to send Bentley though to the finals.

Bentley trailed 2-0 deep into the second half and was held without a shot until the 74th minute, when freshman Justin Cirasola (Oceanside, N.Y./Oceanside) put a header on net.

That seemed to spark the Falcons, as they staged a furious comeback in a five minute span. Junior forward Matt Solomon (Avon, Conn./Avon Old Farms) scored his fourth goal of the season in the 75th minute, with junior Ryan Miamis (Dracut, Mass./Dracut) on the assist, to cut the Owls' lead to 2-1.

Senior Mike Lipsett (Walpole, Mass./Walpole) put a shot on net that required a save of Esposito just over two minutes later.

After a corner kick by Solomon, Bentley was awarded another corner in the 80th minute. Sophomore Brennan DaCosta (San Diego, Calif./Westview) delivered a good one, and junior Chris Gardner (Skillman, N.J./Hun School of Princeton) headed it past Esposito to tie the game.

Southern Connecticut scored the game's first goal in the 27th minute from senior forward Harry Appiah, his fourth of the season. Sophomore midfielder Yoni Feldman was credited with the assist, his third.

It was the first goal Bentley had allowed since Oct. 12, a streak spanning a school record 695 minutes.

The Owls pushed their advantage to 2-0 in the 67th minute when freshman Doural Scott found the back of the net, with Appiah assisting.

In overtime, Southern Connecticut nearly won it in the 96th minute, but sophomore Frank Lara's shot bounced off the post. Senior Ryan Hatch (Haverhill, N.H./Woodsville) put a shot on net in the 99th minute that Esposito had to save.

Bentley and Franklin Pierce tied 1-1 in their game on Oct. 12 in Rindge. The Falcons have yet to record a win against the Ravens in 15 previous tries.

Box Score

At New Haven, Conn.

Northeast-10 Semifinals

Bentley wins in Penalty Kicks, 5-3

Bentley (11-2-6)                         0   2   0   0   --   2

Southern Connecticut (13-2-3)   1   1   0   0   --   2

Scoring: S, Harry Appiah (Yoni Feldman) 26:38; S, Doural Scott (Appiah) 66:56; B, Matt Solomon (Ryan Miamis) 74:47; B, Chris Gardner (Brennan DaCosta) 79:48

Penalty Kicks:

Round 1: B, Cody Osgood, Good; S, Ross McGibney, Miss

Round 2: B, Bill Nussdorfer, Good; S, Cedric Panzu, Good

Round 3: B, Rasmus Christensen, Good; S, Harry Appiah, Good

Round 4: Brennan DaCosta, Good; S, Yoni Feldman, Good

Round 5: Weston Zeiner, Good

Shots: S, 17; B, 14

Saves: S, Andrew Esposito 3; B, Mike Nikiforov 5

Corner Kicks: S, 4; B, 6

Fouls: S, 12; B, 12

Offsides: S, 3; B, 1