Alex Pilitsis
Alex Pilitsis

Men’s Soccer Tops So. Connecticut 1-0 to Lock up Fourth-Seed in NE-10 Playoffs

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Senior Brennan DaCosta (San Diego, Calif./Westview) scored in the 59th minute as Bentley University closed out its regular season with a 1-0 victory at Southern Connecticut Friday night in Northeast-10 men's soccer. The win means the Falcons will be the fourth-seed in the NE-10 playoffs and will host fifth-seeded Franklin Pierce in the quarterfinals Monday afternoon at 1:00 pm.

Bentley put just two shots on goal all night, both of them by DaCosta, but his goal in the 59th minute was all they needed to secure the win. A long pass from midfield set DaCosta and Michael Kahn (Bellevue, Wash./Newport) up on a two-on-none breakaway, and Kahn fed DaCosta a touch pass for the finish. That was DaCosta's team-leading eight goal of the season.

The Owls tested Bentley keeper Alex Pilitsis (Brunswick, Maine/North Yarmouth Academy) all night, but the senior held firm and made a season-high nine saves.

With the victory, the Falcons finish the regular season at 8-3-2 in the NE-10 for 26 points. As the fourth-seed they will host a quarterfinal match for the second time since 2010, the year they went to the NE-10 finals. They will also go into the postseason hot, with wins in six of their last seven matches, including a 2-0 victory over their quarterfinal opponent Franklin Pierce on Oct. 23.

The Ravens finish out their regular season Saturday afternoon at home against Le Moyne.