Endicott grabbed a 2-1 lead early in the game on a Kelly Tierney
(South Hadley, MA) free position goal before the two teams traded
scores until 3:15 remained in the opening half. A free position
tally from Kellie Cunningham (Derry, NH) gave Endicott a 7-6 lead
that Feldman extended to 8-6 by taking a shot on an open goal as
the Big Blue net-minder was caught out of position. Molly Sowles
(Cumberland, ME) pushed the lead to 9-6 with :40 seconds remaining
in the half with a nice dodge and bounce shot and Endicott entered
the break leading by that margin.
Coming out of the intermission, Endicott's Carin
Czerniawski (Monroe, CT) scored in the first :17 seconds to give
the Gulls a 10-6 lead. Wellesley responded by scoring the next
three goals as Meagan Fuchs (Portland, OR), Jenny Holland
(Bethesda, MD) and Molly Morrow (Bow, NH) all found the back of the
net to make it a one goal deficit. Valerie Feldman ended the 3-0
run with a bounce shot goal with 16:31 to play in regulation and
gave Endicott an 11-9 lead.
Meagan Fuchs' third goal of the game made it an 11-10
ballgame and the two teams traded goals as EC's Molly Sowles
and Wellesley's Allison Robbins (North Bennington, VT) each
potted scores to leave the score 12-11. Endicott's leading
scorer Morgan DeShaw (Danville, NH) finally got on the board with a
free position score to push the lead back to two. Kellie Cunningham
scored a mere :17 seconds later to give Endicott a 14-11 lead but
Allison Robbins would not allow the Big Blue to go quietly as her
third goal of the game cut the Wellesley deficit back to two.
Endicott would put the Big Blue away in the final seven minutes
as the Gulls ended the game on a 4-0 run including a goal from
Kristen Micho (Syracuse, NY) and three tallies from Valerie
Feldman.
Endicott outshot Wellesley at a 38-22 clip while also scooping
up 11 more groundballs than the Big Blue (39-28). The Gulls were an
efficient 9-for-13 on clear attempts while Wellesley struggled,
going 5-for-12. Both teams had a problem with turnovers as Endicott
committed 20 missteps to Wellesley's 22.
The Gulls were led by Feldman's seven goals and two
assists while four other Endicott players recorded two or more
goals. Kellie Cunningham netted three scores while Micho, Carin
Czerniawski and Molly Sowles each added two goals apiece. Micho
also added a game-high seven ground balls and six draw controls
while Morgan DeShaw and Brittany Kane (Scarborough, ME) picked up
six ground balls each. Leah Neff (South Berwick, ME) improved to
6-1 this season by making nine saves on 22 shots faced.
Wellesley had four players net goals including four scores and
three assists from Jenny Holland and three goals apiece from Meagan
Fuchs and Allison Robbins, while Molly Morrow added a pair of
goals. Caitlin Meeker (Columbia, MD) led the Blue with five ground
balls while Morrow chipped in with five draw controls. Mary Mattia
(Atlanta, GA) suffered the setback while making seven saves on 38
shots faced.
Endicott returns to action on Saturday as the Gulls host Western
New England College in a crucial The Commonwealth Coast Conference
matchup at 3:00 p.m. Wellesley looks to halt a two-game skid when
it hosts Smith College on Saturday at 12:00 p.m. in Wellesley,
MA.