BROOKLYN, N.Y. – After falling behind 1-0 in the first half, the Bryant University men's soccer team did not flinch, holding the margin at that heading into the break after Saint Francis U relentlessly pushed for a second.

They then turned the pressure on the Red Flash, scoring two goals in the first 15 minutes of the second half to defeat the second seeds in the 2018 Northeast Conference Men's Soccer Championship, clinching the program's second berth into the conference final.

Game Information

No. 3 Bryant 2, No. 2 Saint Francis U 1

Records: Bryant 5-8-3, Saint Francis U 9-5-3

Location: LIU Field | Brooklyn, N.Y.

Coach Purcell's Comments

"I'm so proud of these boys. I told them at halftime that I was confident in our abilities. We were creating chances and getting good pressure. We were just unlucky. Charles and Matteo both scored great goals and our defense held at the end."

Key Moment

Right out of the halftime break, sophomore Charles DeSantis (Saint-Mathias-Sur-Richelieu, Quebec, Canada) took a couple touches in midfield and fired a dipping shot into the top corner from 30 yards out to knot the match and swing the momentum into Bryant's favor. They rode it into the game-winning goal just 15 minutes later.

Scoring Summary

• 37^th minute – Saint Francis U 1, Bryant 0 – Mario Mastrangelo took advantage of a miscue in front after  a ball into the box was bobbled and it fell to the senior, who put the ball in the bottom corner.
• 46^th minute – Bryant 1, Saint Francis U 1 – DeSantis took a couple touches on the Saint Francis side of midfield and fired a dipping shot over SFU keeper Jonas Dieseler and into the top right corner to level the proceedings.
• 61^st minute – Bryant 2, Saint Francis U 1 – Sophomore Matteo Toti (Rome, Italy) was able to win the ball in the box, tapping it away from a couple Red Flash defenders and putting it high over Dieseler to finish Bryant's surge and put them ahead for good.

Stats/Notes

• The Bulldogs are making just their second appearance in the Northeast Conference final since entering the league in 2009.
• DeSantis' goal is the second of his season and career. His other tally also came from distance in Bryant's August 31 match with Brown.
• Toti's effort is the first of his career as he became the sixth different Bryant goalscorer this season.
• Junior Olivier Larente (LaSalle, Montreal, Canada) finished the match with nine saves, including four crucial ones in the second half that kept Bryant ahead.
• Powered by seven in the first half, the Bulldogs finished with 10 corner kicks to Saint Francis' five.
• Bryant recorded its first win at LIU Field in its Division I history.
• The Bulldogs defeated the Red Flash for the first time since 2014 and beat SFU away from Smithfield for the first time in its Division I history.
• This was Bryant's first come-from-behind win for first time since Sept. 20, 2014 against Saint Peter's.

Up Next

Bryant stays in Brooklyn, N.Y. for two more days and has a Northeast Conference trophy to play for on Sunday, facing the winner of No. 4 Fairleigh Dickinson and No. 1 LIU Brooklyn at 1 p.m. on Sunday at LIU Field. The Bulldogs defeated the Knights 1-0 in Teaneck, N.J. earlier this season and fell to the Blackbirds 1-0 on Senior Day.