Oct. 8, 2008
WENHAM, Mass. - The Endicott College Gulls suffered a hard fought defeat at the hands of their cross-town rival Gordon College by a score of 3-0 in TCCC action on Wednesday. The win moved Gordon to 6-4-1 overall, and 4-2-1 in the Commonwealth Coast Conference. It was also the Scots' second victory of the week and extended the men's winning streak over their local rivals.
After the first 35 minutes were marked by limited scoring opportunities for both teams, Gordon seized the momentum of the match in the final ten minutes of the first half. Senior defender Nick Hanlon (Ashburnham, Mass.) crashed the net on a perfectly placed corner kick from forward Matt Horth (Akron, Ohio), and used his head to give the Scots a 1-0 lead in the 38th minute. Moments later, Horth was given a free kick, and Hanlon again put a header past the netminder to give the Scots a 2-0 lead.
Endicott tried to fight back in the closing second of the first half. Christopher Serpa (Bristol, R.I.) blistered a shot off a set play from close range but goalkeeper Brian Schilling (Goffstown, N.H.) made a diving save to keep the Gulls at bay.
Up 2-0 in the second half, Gordon utilized superior depth and team speed to carry the play for most of the day. Horth struck again in the 66th minute off another set play. WIth Horth set up about 30 yards out and the Gulls' defense expecting a cross, the sophomore forward crushed a long shot into the upper right corner of the net, putting the match on ice.
Dan Engberg (Bloomington, Minn.) nearly added a fourth goal on a free kick in the game's waning minutes but was stopped by a leaping save from Endicott keeper Jack DeJesus (Swampscott, Mass.).
Senior goalkeeper Brian Schilling had five saves, collecting his second shutout of the week. Endicott's Jack DeJesus had six saves in the loss. Gordon outshot the Gulls 22-8 on the afternoon.
The men's homestand continues on Saturday when they host Eastern Nazarene at 2:30pm. Endicott will face Curry in a home matchup, Saturday at 6:30pm.
