Sept. 24, 2008
BEVERLY, Mass. - Endicott College senior midfielder Michelle Berard (Ashland, Mass.) tallied a goal and an assist as the Gulls blanked cross-town rival Salem State College, 4-0, on Wednesday afternoon in Beverly, Massachusetts. The win marks the eighth-straight for Endicott, as the Blue and Green are now 9-1 overall (2-0 TCCC). The setback brings an abrupt halt to the Vikings three-game winning streak, dropping the visitors to 4-2 (1-1 LEC).
Berard got the scoring started just 2:38 into the first half as she buried a pretty tick-tack-toe tally to give Endicott the 1-0 lead. Senior Lindsey Mills (Arlington, Mass.) fed classmate Jennifer Beech (Devonshire, Bermuda) with an accurate corner pass, only to have Beech redirect the ball to a wide-open Berard back post for the easy one-timer. The goal would prove to the game-winner.
Despite five first half scoring chances, the Gulls would glide into the intermission with a slight 1-0 lead. Salem State's defense kept the visitors close in the first 35 minutes of play, clearing out rebound opportunities in front of sophomore goalkeeper Jess McKenna (Rowley, Mass.).
It was all Endicott in the second half as the Gulls came flying out of the break. TCCC and ECAC Player of the Week Anna Giannoni (Granby, Conn.) extended her goal scoring streak to five-straight games, as she received Jennifer Beech's second assist and deposited the ball past a sprawling McKenna for the 2-0 lead. The Gulls would make it a three-goal game less than a minute later as Lindsey Mills tipped home a cross crease dish from Michelle Berard. Berard connected with her classmate just a few yards in front of the goal mouth, where Mills tipped the pass right under the crossbar for the 3-0 lead.
Cara Hanrahan (Franklin, Tenn.) tacked on the final exclamation point as she charged her way down the left side and buried a 15-yard bid into the back of the Vikings' net. Senior goalkeeper Chelsea DeFeo (York, Maine) was only called upon to make one save for her sixth shutout of the year.
Endicott looks to win its ninth-straight game on Saturday as the Gulls step back into conference play with a 1:00 p.m. match-up with Western New England. Salem State retakes the field on the same day as the Vikings host Fitchburg State at noon.
