Press Release

#5 PURPLE KNIGHTS FALL TO #4 BENTLEY IN NE-10 PLAY-IN SMC Loses By A Goal To Falcons For Second Time FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                  FOR FURTHER INFORMATION April 29,  2003                                                                        Contact: Angela Aja WALTHAM, Mass. --- Junior James Thibadeau (Cheshire, Conn.) scored 2:18 into overtime lifting Bentley College to an 8-7 win over Saint Michael's College in the quarterfinals of the Northeast-10 Conference men's lacrosse tournament Tuesday afternoon at Bentley.          Thibadeau, three goals on the day, took a dead ball to the left of Purple Knight's goalie Brian Hingston (Concord, Mass.) and charged to the net and bounced a shot over Kingston for the game winner.          Saint Michael's forced the overtime bid with freshman Eric Libby (Cohasset, Mass.) netting his second of the game with 1:14 remaining in the fourth quarter and Hingston stoning Bentley's Matt Kowalchick (Boca Raton, Fla.) at the regulation buzzer.          Bentley led throughout the game and by as many as three at 6-3 in the fourth, but the Purple Knights clawed within one goal on three separate occasions before finally netting the equalizer.          After Brandon Kobelt (New York, N.Y.) scored early in the second half to pull SMC within one, it was Bentley's Adam Dilly (Mendham, N.J.) scoring with :38 left in the half to put the Falcons up a pair.            With the score 6-3, Saint Michael's scored two goals within 18 seconds of each other, but once again the Falcons responded with junior George Gullage (Billerica, Mass.) netting his third of the ball game.            The Purple Knights finally tied the game up late in the fourth, but it was Thibadeau who put the nail in the coffin in overtime.            The Falcons advance to the semifinals of the NE-10 tournament and will face top-seeded Le Moyne on Saturday in Syracuse. At Waltham, Mass. BENTLEY 8, SAINT MICHAEL'S 7 Bentley (8-5, 7-3 NE-10)                 0  4  1  2  1  -- 8 Saint Michael's (9-5, 6-4 NE-10)     2  0  1  4  0  -- 7 GOALS: BEN George Gullage 3, James Thibadeau 3, Adam Dilly, Jeff Smrecek; SMC Eric Libby 2, Brandon Kobelt 2, Bryan Barletto, Ryan Lynn, Nate Siegler. ASSISTS: BEN Jordan Benjamin, Reid Morin, Matt Kowalchick; SMC Nate Siegler. SHOTS:  BEN 40; SMC 37 SAVES: BEN Brian Nash 10; SMC Brian Hingston 18 GROUND BALLS: BEN 33; SMC 24 EXTRA MAN: BEN 0/4; SMC 0/2 ###PURPLEKNIGHTS###

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Last Revised: October 25, 2002