BEVERLY, Mass. – In a matchup between two unbeaten conference teams, Western New England came out on top over Endicott, 7-5, on Saturday afternoon at Hempstead Stadium.
The Gulls were led offensively by freshman attack Jack Sutherland (Sudbury, Mass.), who potted two goals and dished out one assist for a team-high three points. Endicott also received solo tallies from Ben Clark (Burnt Hills, N.Y.), Will Clark (Burnt Hills, N.Y.) and Hayden Souza (West Hartford, Conn.).
Meanwhile, Endicott goalie Patrick Dean (Westhampton, N.Y.) and Western New England goalie Steven Kerr (Hopkinton, Mass.) made several highlight reel type saves throughout the game to keep both teams under 10 goals in the contest. Dean finished with a career-high 21 saves, which included eight in the fourth quarter alone, while Kerr compiled 12.
The Golden Bears never trailed in the contest, but only led by as many as three tallies in the matchup (7-4, 3:55 left in 4th quarter). Endicott tied up the game twice, both coming in the second quarter on goals by W. Clark (13:06) and Sutherland (8:33).
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Western New England leads the all-time series 12-10.
- In the last three seasons, the winner of the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) regular season championship has gone on to capture the league title (Endicott twice, Western New England once).
- The last five CCC titles have been decided by an Endicott / Western New England matchup, and eight times total since 2008.
- Dean's 21-save performance ranks eighth all-time in a single-game (tied with three others).
FOR THE FOES
- Nicholas Beauchamp (Wilbraham, Mass.) notched four points on three goals and one assist.
- Jared Ward (Littleton, Mass.) chipped in with two tallies.
- Western New England outshot Endicott, 40-33, and held a 28-19 advantage in ground balls.
WHAT'S NEXT
Endicott (3-7, 3-1 CCC) hosts Tufts on Tuesday, April 10 at 7 PM. Tuesday night's game at Hempstead Stadium will be a Team IMPACT game. The goal of Tuesday's event is to raise funds and awareness for Team IMPACT, which is a national nonprofit organization that connects children facing serious and chronic illnesses with local college athletic teams, forming life-long bonds and life-changing outcomes.
Western New England (7-5, 4-0 CCC) welcomes Nichols to its campus on Tuesday, April 10 at 7 PM.
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(Photo Credit - David Le '10)