Sept. 1, 2008
BEVERLY, Mass. - Junior forward Allyson Bellemore (Manchester, N.H.) tallied a goal and an assist as Endicott College defeated Babson College, 2-0, in the season opener for both teams on Monday afternoon in Beverly, Mass. Endicott, The Commonwealth Coast Conference preseason favorites, struck twice in a two-minute span in the second period to seal the win.
The first half was a feeling out process as both teams tried to find their legs in the season opener. It wasn't until the 49th minute that a viable scoring opportunity presented itself. Junior forward Caitlin Flynn (Southold, N.Y.) almost put the Gulls on the board as she dribbled down the left side of the field and lofted a shot over Sam Scarpato (Weston, Mass.), narrowly missing the back right post to keep the score knotted at zero.
The Blue and Green finally broke through at 57:47 as senior defender Sarah Miller (Nashua, N.H.) tossed a strong throw-in from the left side into the box, connecting with Bellemore for a nifty header past an outstretched Scarpato for a the 1-0 lead. The Gulls' advantage would double just 1:57 later as Bellemore booted an accurate crossing feed onto the foot of Kayla Plante (Sanford, Maine), who redirected the pass into the back of the Babson net.
Babson's Jackie Graham (Winchester, Mass.) did her best to get the Beavers back into the game, as she fired off four shots in the 2-0 setback. Endicott used a pair of netminders to secure the victory. Senior Amy Meuse (Saugus, Mass.) started the game before giving way to Nicole Lawlor (Mansfield, Mass.) in the second. The duo combined for six saves in the winning effort.
Babson also plugged in two goalkeepers in the loss, as Scarpato made three saves in 79:44 before being replaced by Kristy Benoit (Shrewsbury, Mass.) in the final 10:16.
With the win, Endicott moves to 1-0 while Babson slips to 0-1. The Gulls return to action on Thursday afternoon as they cross the bridge to face North Shore foe Salem State College. Babson retakes the field on Wednesday as they meet St. Joseph's (Maine) in the Beavers home opener at 4:00 p.m.
