Potsdam, NY – A penalty kick in the final 20 minutes proved to be the difference for Endicott College as the Gulls controlled the second half against the Clarkson University Men's Soccer team and claimed a 2-1 victory in the second round of the North Country Classic at Hantz Turf Field.
The Gulls moved to 1-1 on the season with the win while the Golden Knights fell to 0-1-1 on the season after a tie on Friday night and the Saturday defeat.
Clarkson's first shot of the game ended in a goal, as the Knights were able to take an early 1-0 lead and put pressure on the Gulls. A direct kick from about 30 yards out deflected off the defense inside the 18-yard box and Jacob Duff (Lebanon, CT) quickly gathered in the ball and fired a shot to the right post for a goal inside the first 10 minutes.
Neither team received many good chances for the remainder of the half though each team finished with a handful of shots. Endicott came out strong in the second half, with a shot in the first 15 seconds. The Gulls continued to put pressure on the Clarkson defense and converted in the 56th minute. Brett Longobucco took a direct kick from 35 yards out and found the head of Abdulla Al Khalifa near the top of the penalty area for the goal, Endicott's first of the season.
"Our fitness allowed us to play with a higher line of pressure in the second half," said Head Coach Joe Calabrese. "We created a number of quality scoring opportunities because of the pressure."
The game-winner proved to be exciting. A ball bounced up to the hand of a Clarkson defender in the penalty area and a handball was called, creating a penalty kick situation. Ryan D'Amico then shot high to the left post for the goal with just over 18 minutes remaining.
Calabrese was proud of the way the team stuck together and dug deep for the result. "This was the first time in two years we chased a game and got a positive result. It was a great team effort and a great response after yesterday's hard fought loss to SLU (Saint Lawrence)."
Endicott finished with a 13-9 lead in corner kick chances and the two teams were tied with two corner kick chances each. Saverino Spagnolo (Ottawa, ONT) of Clarkson made five saves, while Daniel Higgins made three stops to preserve the Gulls first win of the season.
Contributions courtesy of Clarkson University Sports Information
