W. HARTFORD, Conn. – Powered by two quick goals in the first five minutes of the second half, Endicott erased a 1-0 deficit and defeated Keene State 3-1 to propel themselves into the ECAC Division III New England women's soccer championship game.
The third seeded Gulls (13-5-4) will face the top seed and host St. Joseph's College of Connecticut in Sunday's championship game after upsetting the #2 Owls (13-10-1).
Freshman Paige Marinelli (Burlington, Conn.) scored the opening goal for the Gulls and assisted on the game-winner, scored by Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Defensive Player of the Year Caitlin Peters (Salem, N.H.).
Down by a goal at the break, Marinelli tied the game two and a half minutes into the second half, scoring from eight yards out after a throw-in by Chelsea Garlock (Meriden, Conn.). Garlock and fellow senior Vanessia Caruccio (Winthrop, Mass.), who touched the ball off to Marinelli, each picked up assists on the play.
Peters headed in her second goal of the season, and of her career, off of a free-kick taken by Marinelli in at the 49:00 minute mark to give Endicott the lead for good.
With less than five minutes to play, senior Micaela Hogan (Salisbury, Mass.) gave the Gulls an insurance goal, stealing a Keene State clearing attempt and netting her third goal of the year from fifteen yards out.
Endicott thoroughly controlled the second half, outshooting the Owls 9-1 in the period en route to a 15-6 advantage in the game. Chances were even in the first half, though, and the Owls were able to get out in front just over the half-hour mark. Junior Jessica Berthiaume (Worcester, Mass.) scored her tenth goal of the year after her shot trickled into the lower right hand corner of the Endicott goal. The assist came from junior Hayley Kenyon (Exeter, R.I.), Keene State's leading scorer.
Sophomore goalie Katie Donnelly (Madison, Conn.) made three stops in the victory for Endicott, while her colleague Victoria Crenson (North Salem, N.Y.) saved five shots but allowed three goals.
Neither team had many corner kick chances, with Keene State winning one in each half, while the Gulls took five all game.
Endicott is making their fourth ever and third consecutive appearance in the ECAC tournament. This will be their second trip to the ECAC Championship game, following a 2010 showing. Interestingly enough, in that championship, Endicott fell to Keene State by a 3-1 score, with three goals in the second half allowing the Owls to surge to victory.
Endicott and St. Joseph's (Conn.) will meet in the ECAC Championship game on Sunday at 12:00 noon. The Gulls are 6-0 all-time against the BlueJays and have outscored St. Joseph's 25-1 in those contests. However, it has been over a decade since the program's met, with the most recent matchup coming in 1998.
