Sept. 28, 2008
BOSTON, Mass. - Junior forward Shaun Martin's (Salisbury, Mass.) goal with 8:40 remaining in regulation snapped a 1-all tie and lifted Endicott to a 2-1 win over Wentworth in a The Commonwealth Coast Conference contest played at Sweeney Field.
Early in the contest neither team was able to get an advantage, as play shifted from one end to the other without any scoring chances. However, in the 24th minute, the Gulls were able to break the ice when Martin fed freshman midfielder Ryan Coates (Wetherfield, Conn.). Coates then sent a cross to senior midfielder Benjamin Graves (Peterborough, N.H.) who one-timed a reverse kick from the top enter of the 18-yard box. That goal would hold as the lone marker of the first 45:00, despite Wentworth holding a 6-3 shot advantage.
Both teams had chances in the early portion of the second half, but neither team could find the back of the net. However, that changed at the 76:08 mark when Wentworth senior defender Ian Downing (Skowhegan, Maine) fed classmate Kyle Nasman (Lenox, Mass.). Nasman would feed a cross to the left post where senior forward Matt Martins (Bristol, R.I.) knotted the game at 1-all. The Leopards had a pair of quality chances within 30 seconds of each other to take a 2-1 lead, but came up empty both times.
At the 81:20 mark, freshman defender Christopher Serpa (Bristol, R.I.) found Martin, who tipped in a shot to the right side. The Gulls continued to apply pressure in an effort to increase their lead, but were not able to. However, Endicott's defense prevented Wentworth from a chance to net the game-tying goal late in the half.
Freshman keeper Nicholas Allman (Newburyport, Mass.) made eight saves to pick up the win. Wentworth senior Joe Simon (Pittsfield, Mass.) made all seven of his saves in the second half, including three late in the second half. Wentworth held a 16-13 shot advantage and both teams had five corner kick attempts.
With the win, Endicott improves to 3-5-1 overall and 3-1-1 in TCCC. Wentworth drops its second straight game, falling to 2-7-1 overall and 1-3-0 in the conference. The Gulls will be back in action on Tuesday, as they travel to defending conference champion Western New England for a 4:00 game. The Leopards are idle until Wednesday when they host Eastern Nazarene at 7:00.
