BEVERLY, Mass. – Despite controlling possession for most of the game and outshooting their opponents 28-3, Endicott fell victim to two breakaway goals and dropped a 2-1 home decision to Plymouth State on Wednesday in women's soccer action at Endicott Stadium.
The Gulls dropped to 3-2 with the loss and Plymouth State collected their first win of the season, improving to 1-3. This was the first ever meeting between the two schools' women's soccer programs.
Plymouth State had just three shots, but all of them were on frame and two of them found the back of the net against the Gulls. Junior Cassie Graham (Foster, R.I.) scored both the goals, one in each half, for the visiting Panthers, erasing a first half tally by Chelsea Garlock (Meriden, Conn.) that put Endicott in the lead nearly twenty minutes in.
Garlock finished a ball played in by junior Nicole Fournier (Milford, Mass.), which was set up by great work down the right flank by senior Christine Silva (Stoneham, Mass.). The goal was Garlock's team-high fourth of the season, while Fournier picked up her third assist and Silva her first 2012 point.
With the Gulls, who fired 18 shots in the first half, poised to take a 1-0 lead into the break, Graham got in behind the defense four minutes from halftime and slotted the ball past Endicott junior goalie Natalie Wyrsch (Dover, N.H.) for her first goal of the season. The ball was played in to her by Laura Davis (Pelham, N.Y.), who got her first assist of the year.
Graham gave Plymouth State the lead for good just under five minutes into the second half on a nearly identical play, finishing far post behind Wyrsch who came out to try to cut down the angle on Graham's breakaway.
Endicott, who took eight corner kicks in the game, kept the pressure on in the second half and nearly broke through in the closing minutes to tie the game. Fournier had several quality chances pounced on by Plymouth State senior keeper Chelsea Duval (Dover, N.H.) and Garlock put a header down that bounced over the bar on a cross from junior forward Lexi Dussi (Boxford, Mass.).
Natalie Wyrsch made one save on the afternoon, but was not tested aside from the two breakaway goals by Graham. The Panthers did not earn a corner kick try in the game and were caught offsides on two occasions.
Endicott will try to rebound on Saturday in an enormous home contest. The Gulls will host Roger Williams for their first Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) test of the season. The game, a rematch of the past two CCC Championship games, won by Roger Williams, will kick off a 12:30 PM.
Plymouth State will continue their road trip when they travel to UMass Dartmouth on Saturday for their first conference tilt, a 2:00 PM kickoff.
