WESTFIELD, Mass. – The Endicott field hockey team traveled to Westfield State for a Tuesday night match up. Sophmore Morgan Bresnahan (South Burlington, Vt.) scored her second goal of the season late in the first half to give the Gulls the 1-0 win. The Blue and Green now move to .500 at 3-3, while their counterparts are given their first loss of the season falling to 3-1.
Both sides battled in the first half for possession. The Gulls managed to rip five shots while their counterparts took seven. Sophomore goalkeeper Rose Bradley (Pottstown, Pa.) got the start for the Blue and Green and was kept busy during the half as she tallied four saves, one of which came from a point-blank shot from the stroke mark. Freshman Holly Brouillette (Burlington, Mass.)was controlling the tempo for the Owls taking four shots, but the Endicott defense was solid in the circle breaking up every play that came there way while holding their opponent to two corners.
The Blue and Green were working hard offensively with efforts from juniors Mackenzie Hurst (Gilford, N.H.), Kathryn Walker (Middlebury, Conn.) and Emily Sawchuck (Cumberland, Maine). The Gulls controlled the midfield and forced a lot of man up opportunities in the 25. Bresnahan was hungry the entire half working hard in front of the net, at 4:09 she attempted to score off a sweep but the Owls goalkeeper freshman Megan Fountaine (Scituate, Mass.) was able to make the diving save.
Endicott finally found the back of the net at 4:09 when Bresnahan got redemption as she created a give and go play with Hurst. Bresnahan dribbled down the field and laid a pass to Hurst who brought the play to goal as she dribbled down the end line and made a quick pass back to Bresnahan across the cage and was able to tap it in to take the lead.
Endicott picked up right where they left off in the second half forcing the ball down the field offensively. They were strong in transition, keeping the ball in the offensive half for most of the frame. Following the trend of the beginning of the match the Blue and Green found themselves with a lot of man up opportunities. Hurst, Sawchuck and Walker all had great attempts at goal but Fountaine was strong between the pipes and ended the dangerous plays.
Senior Emily O'Halloran (Cheshire, Conn.) was a brick wall in the backfield stopping the ball high and controlling the unit that held the Owls to just three shots in the half. Sophomore Kristen O'Brien was also an important factor on the right side working well with senior Stacie Teevens (Westborough, Mass.) to keep the ball out of the defensive 25, while forcing offensive pressure.
Both squads had incredible goalkeeping throughout the night. Bradley walked away with the shutout tallying four saves while her counterpart Fountaine had an impressive nine saves on the evening.
Despite the seven shots the Gulls took in the second frame, they could not find the back of the net. However, Bresnahan's goal would be all they needed to lift themselves over Westfield.
Coach Cipolla reflects on the win saying, "Our defense was phenomenal today. Kristen and Emily were so steady in the backfield which allowed us to gain numbers ahead of the ball. We applied a lot of offensive pressure and really challenged Fountaine. I have to commend her on her play throughout the night, she kept Westfield in the game."
Endicott will have the rest of the week off in preparation for a rematch of last year's CCC championship game as they host Nichols on September 21st for a 1:00 PM start. The contest will start off Endicott's conference play. Westfield will hit the road to play conference opponent UMass. Dartmouth on Saturday September 21st.
