BEVERLY, Mass. – As the Endicott field hockey team celebrated Senior Day on Saturday afternoon, fourth year players accounted for all of the Endicott scoring, goals and assists, as the Gulls defeated Salve Regina 4-1 at North Field.
Senior Hannah Thornberg (Oakland, Maine) scored a hat trick, her second consecutive multiple goal game, giving her 18 tallies on the year for Endicott, who improved to 11-4 and pushed their Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) mark to 7-1.
Thornberg was part of a group of five seniors honored in a pre-game ceremony. Members of the junior class spoke about each of the Seniors, which also included Taylor Matties (Saratoga Springs, N.Y.), Cassie DeSimone (Reading, Mass.), Taylor Teixeira (Exeter, N.H.) and Melissa Enright (York Beach, Maine), who were each joined by their families and presented with flowers from Head Coach Jodi Cipolla.
Matties provided the other goal for the Gulls with her fifth of the season, which doubled Endicott's advantage nearly twenty minutes in after Thornberg opened the scoring after just two minutes of play.
Teixeira had a busy day in the cage, making 9 saves, including stopping a penalty stroke at the final whistle to keep the victory by a three-goal margin.
Thornberg's first goal was set up by a great play by Enright, who streaked towards goal on the right side before sliding the ball over to an open Thornberg, helping her collect her third assist of the season.
Matties doubled the Gull's advantage when she pounced on a ball fed to her by Thornberg, who would add an unassisted goal in the 23rd minute to put the home team up 3-0.
The Seahawks pulled back a goal three minutes later when Alexisse Clinger (Nantucket, Mass.) slammed home her third goal of the year.
Thornberg completed her hat trick with the only goal of the second half, when Matties returned the favor, finding her across the field, and the leading goal-scorer for the Gulls chipped the ball past Salve goalie Murphy McCann (Westerly, R.I.).
The Gulls outshot the Seahawks 31-15, including a 19-4 advantage in the first half. Endicott kept McCann busy, forcing 14 stops out of the sophomore keeper. Thornberg and Matties each had six shots on goal. The Blue and Green also had a 23-12 edge in penalty corners.
Salve Regina sophomore Alexandria Rizzo(sophomore) was called upon to take the final stroke of the ball when the visitors were awarded a penalty stroke, but Teixiera read the shot well and made the stop to her right.
The Gulls actually have one more home game left during this year's regular season, a 6:00 pm matchup this Tuesday evening against Western New England.
Salve Regina (8-7, 3-5 CCC) returns home for their final game in Newport this year, a 7:00 pm game against Gordon the same night.
