BEVERLY, Mass. – The Endicott men's soccer team played host to Rhode Island College on Tuesday evening for a non-conference matchup. Both sides fought tooth and nail but the Anchormen were able to hold on in the final seconds of the first overtime period to come out with the win. The Gulls pushed hard in the entire 100 minutes of play with a few big opportunities in extra time but came up just short. The Gulls now stand at 2-3 while the Anchormen move to 2-1-2.
The first half for both squads was a battle. The Gulls and the Anchormen kept both goalkeepers on their toes. Sophomore Austin Peluso (Farmington, Conn.) had five saves in the first half. Rhode Island had two huge opportunities in the 12th minute when sophomore Jose Zarraga (Providence, R.I.) ripped two consecutive shots at Peluso but he was able to shut him down. Junior Jed Magnusson (Kingston, N.H.) almost gave Endicott a tally when he blasted a shot from about 20 yards out that went just a little too much to the right and went wide. Despite the number of shots from both sides, the first frame ended in a stalemate.
The second half looked strong for the Gulls as senior Bobby Durben (Stow, Mass.) took a shot in Anchormen territory but freshman goalkeeper Christopher Moura (Rumford, R.I.) was able to make the deflection. Ten minutes later Durben tried again to put the Gulls on the board but came up short as Moura was able to shut down the play. The Blue and Green kept working in the final third forcing six shots in the second frame but just could not find the magic to finish.
Both teams struggled to get on the board in the second frame as the Anchormen took four shots at Peluso. Sophomore Tyler Pacheco (Tiverton, R.I.) almost put the game to an end in the final minutes as he blasted a shot on goal but Peluso was able to make the save and send the scoreless game into overtime.
The overtime seemed to be all about the Gulls as they were forcing shots right and left. Endicott put in immense efforts to find the back of the net but the Anchormen defense kept finding ways to shut them down. Senior Alex Elia (Somers, Conn.) had a great opportunity in the 94th minute as there was a scuffle in front of the net and Elia attempted to blast a shot five yards out but Moura was able to come up with an incredible save to keep his team in the game.
Sophomore Alex Tonsberg (Westport, Conn.) gave the Blue and Green their final opportunity of the game at 99:08 as he took a shot that was deflected by Moura. 40 seconds later the Anchormen took advantage of an opportunity in front of the net as they gave the Gulls defense pressure and crowded the net. Sophomore Kevin Arboleda (Pawtucket, R.I.) was on the right post and made a short pass to Pacheco where he was just on the goal line and banked it in with 12 seconds remaining in extra time to come out with the win.
The Gulls look ahead to a busy weekend. They will compete in their first conference matchup of the season as they host Eastern Nazarene on Saturday at 4:00 PM. Endicott will then travel to Keene State on Sunday for 6:00 PM start. Rhode Island College will head to Regis College on September 14th for a 2:30 faceoff.
