Nov. 15, 2008
BEVERLY, Mass. - Endicott's Megan McBride (Saugus, Mass.) scored in the 32nd minute to help the Gulls move past Saint Joseph's College and into the ECAC Finals with a 1-0 victory on Saturday. With the win, the Gulls have set a new record for wins in a season moving to 17-5 and eclipsing the old mark of 16-5 set in the 2006-07 campaign.
Endicott came out firing in the first period and immediately tested the Saint Joseph's keeper. The Commonwealth Coast Conference Rookie of the Year Anna Giannoni (Granby, Conn.) blasted a shot to the lower left post, forcing Meaghan Johnson (Portland, Maine) to make a sprawling save just five minutes into the contest to keep the game scoreless.
The Lady Monks transitioned the play the other way, and senior netminder Chelsea DeFeo (York, Maine) was equal to the challenge. DeFeo came off her line and played the angel, turning away a Kayla Nowell (Bridgeton, Maine) shot from just five yards out with her right pad.
Endicott finally broke through with just under three minutes left in the opening half as sophomore Lindsey Mills (Arlington, Mass.) sent a bouncing pass over three defenders sticks, allowing McBride to fire a shot into the back of the net. The Gulls would enter the intermission with a 1-0 lead.
The second half was a see-saw battle as the teams each looked to get their offense on track. The Monks would outshoot the Gulls in the final frame by a 7-1 margin but could not put a shot past Endicott's DeFeo. The end of the period would end in exciting fashion as Saint Joseph's Jillian Kimball (Albany Township, Maine) and Sarah Bartell (Exeter, N.H.) put three shots on goal with :40 seconds remaining but all would be turned away by Endicott's senior net-minder. The Monks would earn a penalty corner with no time remaining in the game as Kimball had another opportunity that sailed wide left, resulting in a Gulls victory.
Endicott's DeFeo was able to make seven saves in the game while facing 11 shots in earning her tenth shutout of the season. Saint Joseph's Meaghan Johnson had one save in the contest on five shots faced.
The Gulls move onto the ECAC Finals in a game to be held on Tuesday tentatively at 4:00 p.m. The Gulls will face the winner of the other ECAC Semifinal match between No. 3 seed Westfield State College and No. 2 Plymouth State in a game that will be played on Sunday.
