BEVERLY, Mass.- The #1 Endicott women's soccer team is headed back to the championship after a one year hiatus after defeating #5 Wentworth 1-0 in overtime with just 20 seconds remaining on the clock. In the other semifinal match, #3 Gordon upset #2 Roger Williams to stage a cross-town show down for the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Championship. In their lone meeting of the 2013 season, Endicott defeated Gordon 3-0 in the regular season finale for both teams. Endicott is now 15-5-1 on the season and reaches the 15 win plateau for the first team since 2010 with the win. The Gulls now advance to the championship match for the 12th time in the last 13 years.
The Gulls dominated the Leopards on the stat sheet but the match would be forced into overtime after solid defensive performances from both squads. The first half saw Endicott hold the edge in shots and corners as they posted a 9:3 advantage in shots and 4:0 advantage in corners. Endicott's first two corners came in the fifth and eighth minutes as Ashley Mueskes (Georgetown, Mass.) crossed two balls that would be cleared away. The first shot of the match came in the 12th minute as Laura Wysocki (Somers, Conn.) fired the ball on frame only to see Wentworth keeper Nicole Leahey (Warwick, R.I.) make the save, the first of her 12.
Wentworth's Michelle Murphy (West Islip, N.Y.) registered the Leopards first shot in the 18th minute as she found herself with possession inside the box and turned to shoot but the Endicott back line stood tall and blocked it to take care of the threat.
Endicott's best chance in the first half came off of a shot by Wysocki in the 19th minute. Wysocki would gather a defensive misplay from the Leopards and snap a shot towards the net that would glance just wide of the goal. The Gulls would then out-shoot the Leopard five to two the rest of the way to take a 0-0 tie to the half.
The second half would see much more of the same as both teams couldn't find the back of the net. The Gulls truly dominated offensive possession in the second frame, piling up 18 shots to Wentworth's four. Of the 18 shots, seven were on goal while the Leopards were only able to put one on goal. Endicott held the advantage in corners as they racked up four again to Wentworth's two.
The Blue and Green's pressure to start the second half was evident as just 13 seconds in, Heather Moody (Dunstable, Mass.) was able to put a shot up that wound up going right of the goal and out of bounds. Just over seven minutes later, Madison Missinne (Ridgefield, Conn.) found a cross on her foot and one timed it towards goal. The ball cleared the cross bar just over a foot high to keep the score knotted at 0-0.
Endicott head coach Jodi Kenyon saw that while the offense was putting up shots, the unit needed a spark and she found it from Audrey Parolin (Cumberland, Maine) and Paige Marinelli (Burlington, Conn.). "When Paige and Audrey went in, their hustle and ability to push the ball up the flanks created chances for us and gave us a lift," the coach stated. Just three minutes after checking into the second half, Parolin had already registed three shots, two of which Leahey had to save.
Wentworth's best chance of the second half came when Tori Armishaw (Scarborough, Maine) gathered a beautiful feed from Olivia Moore (Salem, Conn.). Armishaw took the shot on frame and forced Endicott keeper Katie Donnelly (Madison, Conn.) to make the save, one of her three on the evening.
With the score knotted at 0-0 at the conclusion of the half, both teams prepared for a tough overtime battle with thoughts of last year's penalty kick decision starting to spread throughout the crowd. Early on in the overtime period it was Wentworth that jumped out with aggression on offense as they would register the first three shots. Their best and most unique opportunity came when Alexandrea Banks (Ellington, Conn.) launched a ball from midfield that carried towards goal with the wind. Donnelly was forced to sprint from her back line and cut the ball off mid-hop to avoid an awkward bounce and clear it quickly.
The Gulls and Leopards would trade shots before Moody would tally her first game winning goal of her senior season with just 20 seconds remaining on the clock. Jessica Joseph (Bedford, N.H.) would cross a feed into the box that would almost get lost in a scrum in the box but would find Moody's diving/sliding attempt. The ball would glance off her left foot and into the back of the net for the goal that would send the Gulls back into the championship match. "Moody's play was the result of pure hustle and will at that point in the match," said Kenyon. "She was rigth in the thick of things and was rewarded for her effort."
Endicott now returns to action Saturday at 1 p.m. when they play host to cross-town and CCC rival Gordon.
