BEVERLY, Mass.- The Endicott women's soccer team moved to 15-1-1 all-time against Eastern Nazarene on Homecoming Saturday night with a 3-1 win. The women improve to 4-5-1 (2-1-1 CCC) on the season while Eastern Nazarene falls to 4-5-1 (1-3-0 CCC).
After the Gulls fell behind 1-0 in the 17th minute, Paige Marinelli (Burlington, Conn.) blasted a direct kick into the top right corner to even the score at 1-1 at the 18:08 mark. The goal was Marinelli's first of the season and would provide the final score of the half for either squad.
Endicott would out-shoot Eastern Nazarene 13-3 in the first half as the Lions' keeper Kristen Farley (Westminster, Mass.) made two of her five saves in the half to do her best to keep the score tied. Endicott keeper Caroline Armbruster (Stowe, Vt.) would make one save in the half in what would be the only action she would see all night.
The Gulls defense stiffened in the second half and would not allow a single shot as the Gulls would out-shoot the Lions 11-0 to end with a 24-3 advantage in the match. Both defenses did enough to keep the opposing offense from scoring again until the 85th minute when Endicott would break through for two more.
With just over five and a half minutes on the clock in regulation, freshman Sharlotte Pernice (West Springfield, Mass.) would provide a perfect long through-ball into the box that caused Eastern Nazarene to foul and award a penalty kick to Endicott. Senior Betsy Albiani (Stoneham, Mass.) was sent to the spot and buried her opportunity to score her first career goal and give Endicott the 2-1 lead. Just 2:15 later, Pernice would again feed a perfect pass to the foot of a streaking Marinelli that the lefty would burry across goal and into the bottom right corner to seal the match for the Gulls.
BEYOND THE BOX
- Albiani's goal, the first of her career, also proved to be the game-winner. The senior defender has played 32 games and made 27 starts and now has an assist and a game-winning penalty kick goal on her resume.
- Marinelli's two-goal day now gives her six points in the last two matches as she posted two assists in the team's 6-1 win over UMass Boston on Wednesday.
- Endicott has now out-scored Eastern Nazarene 61-4 in the all-time series between the two programs that started with a 3-0 shutout in favor of the Gulls on October 2, 1999. In fact, in matches played during the first seven days of October, Endicott has out-scored Eastern Nazarene 13-1.
FOR THE FOES
- Kelly Couite (West Bridgewater, Mass.) tallied her eighth goal of the season which ties her for the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) lead.
- Eastern Nazarene keeper Kristen Farley made five saves in the setback, the eighth time this season she has made at least five saves.
- Junior Katherine Lawrence (Marlborough, Conn.) assisted on Couite's goal, moving her assist total to two on the season. The midfielder now has 12 points to date as she has also logged five goals including a hat trick against Becker on Wednesday.
WHAT'S NEXT
Endicott hosts non-conference foes in two of their next three matches. On the 7th, Endicott welcomes Eastern Connecticut St. to the Nest for a 7:00 p.m. start before heading to Curry next Saturday for an 11:00 a.m. kick. The Gulls then return home to host NESCAC foe Tufts on the 14th at 4:00 p.m. For Eastern Nazarene, the Lions are on the road for their next two as they travel to Brandeis on the 6th and Gordon on the 10th.
