BIDDEFORD, Maine – The Endicott men's soccer team played their last road game of the regular season on Saturday afternoon as they faced Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) opponent the University of New England (UNE). Freshman Brion Likaj (Salem, Mass.) tallied his first two goals of the season in the 3-0 decision over UNE. Endicott moves to 9-8-0, (4-4-0 CCC) while the Nor'easters fall to 6-8-3, (1-6-1 CCC).
The first frame was controlled by the Gulls as they outshot the Nor'easters 10-3. In the first 10 minutes of play the Blue and Green had a big opportunity to get on the board as junior Abdulla Al Khalifa (Riffa, Bahrain) sent the ball in off a corner kick and senior James Mercer (South Hadley, Mass.) went up for the header towards the back of the net but junior goalkeeper Aidan McParland (Brookville, Ontario) was able to make the save.
The rest of the half was quiet until the last 10 minutes when Endicott had four shots on goal. The first two came from freshman Josh Moreno (Farmington, Conn.) as he went up for the header but the shot was deflected, however freshman Edwin Demoya (Salem, Mass.) picked up the rebound and sent another shot at McParland but he was able to stop the play.
In the final three minutes of the frame senior Brett Longobucco ripped a shot at goal in attempts to put a tally on the board in Endicott's favor before the half but McParland was able to make the save and keep the game at a stalemate to enter halftime.
The second frame was similar to the first as the Blue and Green outshot UNE 13-2. The Gulls were eager to find the back of the net after many close attempts in the first, and at 53:21 they finally did. Al Khalifa sent the ball towards the goal from the right side, Likaj saw an opportunity and went up for the header to find the top corner to give the Gulls the lead.
13 minutes later Demoya came in hot on the right side and sent a crisp cross ball in the 18 that Al Khalifa was able to touch for the one-timer in front of the net to give the Gulls a 2 goal advantage in the frame.
Endicott was not satisfied with the two goal lead and they kept chugging in the final third to create opportunities. In the 70th minute Demoya and senior Ryan D'Amico (Marlborough, Conn.) made a nice combination through the offensive 50 and Demoya sent the ball in dangerous Nor'easter territory where Likaj was waiting for the ball. Likaj controlled the feed and slipped it past McParland to give the Gulls an insurance goal in the 3-0 victory
In the contest the Endicott defense was not busy as Peluso saw no action in the backfield, his counterpart on the other hand saw 14 shots on goal from the Blue and Green and came up with 10 saves in the contest.
Endicott will look ahead to Tuesday October 29th where they will host cross town rival No.13 Gordon for their last regular season game at 7:00 p.m. The contest will also be a celebration for the men's soccer team as they recognize their six seniors on Senior Day.
