BIDDEFORD, Mass. – After scoring the first six goals of the game, the ninth-ranked Endicott men's lacrosse team cruised to a 20-8 victory over CCC opponent University of New England on Wednesday evening. Senior attacker and reigning CCC Offensive Player of the Week Nick Pinciaro (Beverly, Mass.) led the charge with seven points on five goals and two assists while junior goalie Cameron Bell (Falmouth, Mass.) allowed just two goals in two quarters as he won his ninth game of the season.
Endicott (9-2, 4-0 CCC) hosts Nichols on Saturday, April 11th at 2:30 p.m. looking to go 5-0 in conference play this season. Saturday will also serve as Senior Day for an 11-man senior class that has gone 47-22 (25-3 CCC) since the start of their freshman year.
Pinciaro tallied a goal and an assist as part of Endicott's 6-0 start in the first quarter before netting back-to-back-to-back goals in the second quarter to help push Endicott's lead up to 10-1 with 6:24 remaining in the first half. Pinciaro's first goal of the game set a new single-season high with his 34th goal of the year. He now has a team-high 52 points on the year.
Sophomore attacker Colin Bannon (Westport, Mass.) had a goal and four assists, senior attacker Kyle Weber (West Hartford, Conn.) netted four goals, senior midfielder Jonathan Morgan (Lake Panamoka, N.Y.) went off for three goals and an assist, and sophomore attacker Will Jennings (Danvers, Mass.) notched two goals and two assists in the win. Senior midfielder Harrison Cotter (Lordship, Conn.) scored a goal and added two assists while junior attacker Mitchell Tapley (Falmouth, Maine) registered a goal and an assist in his second straight game for Endicott.
With a 16-2 lead at halftime, Endicott relieved Bell who had faced just three shots on goal with one save. Sophomore goalie Kenny Sturgess (Hampstead, N.H.) played just over 20 minutes between the pipes and made three saves before giving way to sophomore Patrick Shelley (Poland, Maine) who played the final 10 minutes of the game.
Endicott sophomore face-off specialist Tommy Hughes (Coram, N.Y.) was nearly unstoppable with 23 wins in 26 tries while fellow sophomore Shanes Hughes (York Beach, Maine) contributed with 3-of-5 wins at the "x." Tommy Hughes added a game-high nine groundballs to help Endicott hold a 47-28 advantage on groundballs.
Endicott outshot UNE 53-26 in the game and successfully converted both opportunities with the man-advantage as Cotter and Pinciaro scored man-up goals.
