Box Score
BEVERLY, Mass. - The Endicott College women’s soccer team envisioned the start to its 2009 season going a bit different than it went on Tuesday night, as the Gulls dropped a 2-0 decision to Babson College in non-conference action in Beverly, Mass. The Beavers outshot the Gulls at a lopsided clip of 17-7 and scored a single goal in both the first and second half en route to the win.
The opening 20:00 minutes of action was a feeling out process as each team eased into its respective season-opener. Babson struck first in the 25th minute as sophomore Bridget McCurdy (Weston, Mass.) took a crossing feed from junior Ellen McCurdy (Weston, Mass.) and slipped a bouncing ball past Endicott goalkeeper \#Nicole Lawlor\# (Mansfield, Mass.) for the 1-0 lead. The advantage would hold up into the half as the Beavers held a 7-4 shots advantage at the intermission.
Turnovers and a lack of ball-control plagued the Gulls all night and Babson was once again able to capitalize early in the second frame. The Beavers caught the Gulls in transition, allowing freshman Amy Festa (Medfield, Mass.) to uncork a shot from 18-yards out that struck the crossbar. The bounding ball caromed into the Endicott box where Patty Pytlik (Wellesley, Mass.) tapped the rebound across the goal line in the 60th minute to cement the visitor’s win.
A pair of Babson goalkeepers combined for just one save to earn the shutout victory. Sam Scarpato (Weston, Mass.), who started the contest for the guests, saw a total of four shots before giving way to Sarah Macary (Woodbury, Conn.) for the final 45:00. The Gulls took a total of seven shots, recording just one attempt on goal in the setback.
Babson (1-0) returns to action on Friday when the Beavers travel to Aurora University (Ill.) for a non-conference match-up with the Spartans. Endicott (0-1) will also head west this coming weekend as the Gulls will square-off with both Denison and Ohio Wesleyan on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.