Box Score

BEVERLY, Mass. – Endicott College scored consecutive goals in a span of 2:25 in the second half, as the Gulls downed Eastern Nazarene College, 2-0, in a The Commonwealth Coast Conference men’s soccer game on Wednesday night in Beverly, Mass. The victory ups Endicott’s record to 6-7-0 overall and 5-4-0 in league play. The Lions dip to 0-13-1 on the season and 0-8-1 against conference competition.

Endicott held a decisive 7-3 shots advantage in the opening half and had its fair share of scoring opportunities in the opening frame. The Gulls’ best chance in the first half came off the foot of \#Kevin Gnecco\# (North Hampton, N.H.) as the freshman let a low shot go from 25-yards out. Eastern Nazarene goalkeeper Andrew Trice (Quincy, Mass.) was forced to make a diving save to his left, tipping the bid just wide to keep the game scoreless at the intermission.

The Lions opened the second half by immediately testing Endicott netminder \#Daniel Higgins\# (Kingstown, R.I.). ENC midfielder Charles Dybaud (Quincy, Mass.) unleashed a blistering shot labeled for just under the crossbar, but Higgins proved equal to the task as he got a hand on the ball to steer it clear of the back of the net.

The Gulls finally got on the board in the 55th minute when freshman \#Robbie DiTommaso\# (Farmington, Conn.) found classmate \#Brian Connery\# (Boxford, Mass.) with a pass across the box that Connery directed into the lower-right corner for the 1-0 lead. The marker was the first of Connery’s collegiate career.

The Blue and Green didn’t sit on the one-goal lead for long as the Gulls struck again just 2:25 later. \#Craig Jameson\# (Bedford, N.H.) lofted a nifty back-post feed to \#Kevin Ivester\# (Topsfield, Mass.), who directed a header against the grain of the goalie to give the Gulls an insurance goal and the eventual 2-0 victory.

Wednesday night was a freshmen showcase for the Gulls as all four point-getters are in their respective rookie seasons. Freshman goalkeeper \#Daniel Higgins\# played a pivotal role as well, as he made three saves in the shutout victory. Higgins got some extra help from Jameson in the 60th minute as the Endicott midfielder chipped in with a defensive save on a header attempt by the Lions’ Jeremy Stanford (South Weymouth, Mass.).

Next up for the Gulls is a 5:00 p.m. match-up with Curry College on Saturday afternoon in Milton, Mass. Eastern Nazarene looks to regroup against Gordon at 2:30 p.m. on the same day in Quincy, Mass.