SALEM, Mass.- Following a match in which the Gulls were able to put just five shots on goal last Saturday, the focus was clearly evident on the offensive end on Wednesday against the Vikings of Salem State as the Gulls put an astounding 16 of 17 shots on frame. The offensive dominance culminated in just one goal as Laura Wysocki's (Somers, Conn.) second half tally would be all the scoring Endicott could must. The Gulls and Vikings went on to battle their way to a 1-1 tie following two overtime periods as Endicott sees their record move to 0-1-1 (0-0-0 CCC) while Salem advances to 0-0-1 in their season debut.
The first half would see stout defensive efforts on both ends of the pitch as neither team could find the back of the next. While the Gulls would eventually hold the edge in shots and shots on goal at the end of the contest, it was actually the Vikings that held the edge after the opening 45 as they edged the visiting Gulls six to four. Even with the slight disparity in overall shots, Endicott was able to put all of their shots on frame while Salem State managed just three shots on net, forcing Endicott net minder Katie Donnelly (Madison, Conn.) to make three saves. Her counterpart, Rachel Ledbetter (Dracut, Mass.), would stand tall as well, making four saves to send match into the halftime break at 0-0.
Eager to get the offense kickstarted, the Gulls would waste little time getting on the board in the second, scoring less than 10 minutes into the frame to put the visitors up 1-0. Junior midfielder Laura Wysocki, the 2013 leading scorer for the Gulls, would tally her first of the year off of a redirected header from fellow junior Madison McKinley (Shrewsbury, Mass.). For McKinley, the assist is the second of her career while the goal is the eighth of Wysocki's career.
Just under five minutes later however, the Vikings would respond and lock up the score for good as Allison Celia (Hopkinton, Mass.) logged her first of the season as she scored from 25 yards out by slipping it just under the cross bar and barely out of the reach of Donnelly.
The Gulls would go on to dominate the pace of play in the second frame, recording nine total shots, all of which were on net. Ledbetter would prove to be strong in net as she would make eight addition saves to knot the score at 1-1 as regulation came to a close. Endicott saw just four shots total in the second half as the midfield unit of Wysocki, Casey Mellen (Litchfield, N.H.) and Ashley Mueskes (Georgetown, Mass.) played well, controlling the tempo and possession. The unit would record eight total shots, all of which were on goal. The Gulls also received a solid night offensively from junior forward Paige Marinelli (Burlington, Conn.) who was able to record five total shots, four of which were on goal.
Following 90 minutes of play after which the score sat deadlocked at 1-1, the Gulls and Vikings would advance to two overtime periods to attempt to settle the score. Endicott continued applying pressure, holding the advantage in shots five to two, forcing Ledbetter to make three total save. Both of the team struggled to find the clinching tally however and would have to settle for a 1-1 tie in their North Shore Cup match.
For the match, Donnelly ended with six saves on seven shots while her counterpart was forced to make 16 saves on 17 shots. Donnelly would lower her season goals against average to 0.90 via the scoreless extra frames. The Gulls (0-1-1) are next in action again on Saturday as they will play host to the visiting Owls of Keene State, a match that is slated to start at 3:00 p.m. The Vikings (0-0-1), travel to WPI on Saturday for a 1:00 p.m. start.
