NEWTON, Mass.- With an early goal from Paige Marinelli (Burlington, Conn.) and an outstanding defensive team effort, the Gulls were able to secure their first victory of the 2013 season over the Lasers of Lasell College. Endicott took down Lasell 1-0 to improve their record to 1-3-1 and now get a three day break before taking on Smith College at home on Saturday at 1 p.m.
Coming into Tuesday's tilt, Endicott had yet to tally a win on the young season and were looking to shore up their defensive unit. That unit got some extra help in the eighth minute as Marinelli notched her first goal just 7:17 into the match. The unassisted goal gave the Gulls the lead for good and provided the squad an extra burst of confidence that they would carry into all aspects of their play.
"We played much better tonight," stated head coach Jodi Kenyon. "With Paige's goal, it allowed us to buckle down and play tough, hard defense. The back line and defensive unit as a whole played a great match."
Kenyon was quick to point out the likes of Sarah Person (Holden, Mass.), LeeAnn Card (Paxton, Mass.), Allison Ferro (Shelton, Conn.), Clare Mansfield (Stoneham, Mass.) and Stacy Tomlinson (Morrisville, Vt.) for their efforts. "The group of those women played tenacious defense. That effort is exactly what we needed tonight to get our first win. Its been a long time coming but this was definitely a step in the right direction," Kenyon said.
The crowd of 112 spectators at Grellier Field watched eagerly as the two teams put on quite the display of sound soccer after such an early goal. The two teams were extremely close in all major stats for the match. Lasell held the edge in shots (8:6) and corners (3:1), but it was Endicott who held the edge in saves (3:2) and fouls (8:9). Endicott keeper Katie Donnelly (Madison, Conn.) recorded all three of the Endicott saves and was able to record her first shutout of the season and improve her goals against average to 0.96.
As previously mentioned, the Gulls now look to Saturday as they host Smith College from Northampton, Mass. at 1 p.m. Lasell is also off unti Saturday when they play host to former CCC member Anna Maria.
