Aug. 31, 2007
BEVERLY, MA - The Endicott College men's soccer team will take the field this season under new leadership as Darren Murray enters his first season at EC. Murray takes over a team that finished the 2006 season winning eight of their final ten games to finish fourth in The Commonwealth Coast Conference.
The 2007 Gulls will be lead by senior defender and Second Team All-CCC selection Eric Booth (Belchertown, MA/Belchertown). Booth anchored the EC defense and proved to be a stellar two-way player as he also led the team in scoring with five goals and two assists for 12 points. Booth will be counted on to set the tone on the defensive end and his free kicks will continue to haunt opposing goalkeepers.
First-year head coach Darren Murray will rely on the team's stable of returning players to carry the Blue and Green through a tough conference schedule. Endicott returns its top five scorers including midfielder Gabriel Moraga (Marlborough, CT/RHAM), who scored three goals and added an assist and Joe Scarbo (Milton, MA/Milton) who also netted three goals.
Juniors Kyle Schmutte (Wilbraham, MA/Minnechaug) and Pirapong Sirikietsoong (Bangkok, Thailand) will also help to shoulder the offensive load as the duo played the majority of the '06 season upfront and each scored a pair of goals and notched an assist.
CCC Honorable Mention goalkeeper Cameron Twiss (Reading, MA/Bishop Fenwick) also returns to the field this fall gives the Gulls a big boost on the defensive end. Twiss turned away 92 shots and led the conference in shutouts, keeping opponents off the scoreboard in five games.
The Gulls got off to a slow start in '06 losing their first eight games but a large part of the teams turn around was the play of a young defensive line. TJ Sapienza (Milford, NH/Milford), DJ Picariello (Boxford, MA/Worcester Academy) and Danny Vagnini (Farmington, CT/Farmington) all stepped in and made an immediate impact in their rookie season and will no doubt provide a solid back line for the Gulls as sophomores.
The Blue and Green have a strong group of incoming freshmen hoping to contribute right way. EC welcomes three top notch defenders Adam Skerpin (Smithfield, RI/Bishop Hendricken), Greg Wilson (York, ME/York) and Brian Lee (Rockport, MA/Rockport) who will bolster the defense.
Darren Murray, a native of Ireland, steps in to take over the coaching duties for EC. Murray played professionally in Europe as well as at the NCAA Division II level for Mercyhurst College and has built a long list of coaching experience. Murray comes to Endicott after coaching at Newbury College, he has also coached with the New England Revolution Soccer Academy, the Massachusetts Olympic Development program and at Mercyhurst and Boston College.
The Gulls finished 2006 with an 8-10 overall record while going 4-5 in the CCC after a great midseason turn around. The Blue and Green open the 2007 season on Saturday September 1, with a game against the Brandeis Judges in Waltham, MA at 5:00 pm. EC opens the year with five road games before hosting TCCC rival Colby-Sawyer at 3:30 pm on September 19.