BIDDEFORD, Maine- With every Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) matchup representing precious points in the standings this late in the season, the Gulls traveled to Maine to battle the Nor'Easters with every intention of coming out with a victory. After a second half offensive explosion, Endicott would travel home 8-1 winners, winners of their fifth straight match and more importantly, winners of their fifth straight CCC match. With the victory, Endicott improves to 12-5-1 (7-1) while UNE falls to 8-8-1 (4-3-1).
The first half would play extremely tight and would not provide any hint at what the final score would be after 90 minutes. The Gulls would use Heather Moody's (Dunstable, Mass.) first goal of the season with an assist from LeeAnn Card (Paxton, Mass.) to make the score 1-0 in the 21st minute. Moody's shot from the top right of the box was blasted low into the left corner to give Endicott the advantage half way through the first.
UNE would counter late in the half as Margaret Palmer would notch her ninth of the season on an unassisted goal. Palmer's goal in the 41st minute with her left foot from just inside the box beat Endicott keeper Katie Donnelly (Madison, Conn.) to even the score at 1-1 heading into the half. UNE outshot Endicott 7-6 in the first half while Endicott held the edge in corners 2-0. The Gulls were forced to make three saves to just one for UNE as well.
The second half started out for the first 10 minutes just as the previous 45 had; both teams playing even. In the 57th minute however, the momentum would swing Endicott's way and the Gulls would never look back. Laura Wysocki (Somers, Conn.) notched her sixth goal of the season, which now ties her for the team lead, as Moody and Lexi Dussi (Boxford, Mass.) registered assists. Her shot went high from right of center and into the left top corner to beat the UNE keeper and give Endicott the 2-1 advantage.
The next 15 minutes would see another stretch of scoreless play before Endicott would put forth a performance that is as impressive as any in recent history. Jessica Joseph (Bedford, N.H.) would take a Card feed to bury her fourth goal of the season from 12 yards out in the 72nd minute. Card was able to gather a loose ball after a scramble and find Joseph to register her second assist of the year.
With the score sitting at 3-1 now, Ally George (Stratham, N.H.) would take a free kick from 30 yards out and would find the upper right corner to net her first goal of the season to increase the lead to 4-1. Her strike came in the 74th minute.
Joseph, hungry for more, would go on to score twice more in the next five minutes. Her first came as she was able to gather a rebound from Clare Mansfield's (Stoneham, Mass.) and strike for her second of the match, and now fifth of the season. Her second goal came in the 76th minute, just 2:02 after her first of the match. Ally George was then able to find Joseph as the freshman buried her third of the match, giving her her first career hat-trick and tying her with Wysocki for the team lead in goal with six. For George, it was her second assist of the season as Joseph tallied her third at 79:40 in the match, giving her three goals in an 8 minute and 30 second stretch.
Proving that this team will never settle, the Gulls kept on the offensive pressure as Audrey Parolin (Cumberland, Maine) would also break through for her first of the season. Her goal came off a Hannah Schneidenbach (Charlestown, R.I.) assist with a low shot to make the score 7-1. The goal, registered in the 84th minute, gave Schneidenbach her first assist of the season.
The Gulls would wrap up the scoring in the 89th minute as Stacy Tomlinson would score off of a corner kick. Tomlinson's first of the season made the score 8-1 with just 1:08 left in the match which would hold true to the final whistle.
Endicott took 12 second half shots while holding UNE to just three. All but one of Endicott's shots were on goal in the second half as Endicott posted eight goals on 13 shots on goal. The Gulls held the advantage in corner kicks as well by a 6-0 margin. Both teams made five shots in the match. With the win, Endicott keeper Katie Donnelly increased her personal record to 11-5-1.
Endicott is now off until Tuesday when they will play host to bitter CCC rival Gordon at 4 p.m. to wrap up the regular season. UNE travels to host Wentworth for their regular season finale as well.
