BEVERLY, Mass. – The Endicott men's soccer team made program history as they won their first Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) title on Saturday afternoon on Hempstead Stadium. The Gulls edged Gordon, 1-0, in overtime.
Senior Dario Neukom (Palma de Mallorca, Spain) tallied his fourth goal of the season to push Endicott over the Fighting Scots in the 99th minute of play. Diego Maillo (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) gained possession of the ball and sent a long pass up to Neukom, who then beat the Gordon netminder and sent a shot that bounced into the lower left-hand corner of the net.
The first 90 minutes of play was much like the previous meeting between the two programs during the regular season, which resulted in a 0-0 double overtime tie. Both teams saw opportunities to score, but Camden Stockdale (Durham, N.H.) and Wesley Sprague (Naperville, Ill.) came up with several key saves to keep the game knotted at zero through regulation.
Stockdale improved to 3-1-0 on the season and made three saves during the shutout.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Endicott held an 18-13 shot advantage throughout the contest.
- The Gulls recorded eight corners, while the Fighting Scots had six.
- Evan Couchot (Mason, Ohio) paced the offense with five shots, while Neukom, Victor DaCosta (Rehoboth, Mass.), and Jesse Martinez (Walpole, Mass.) where close behind with three each.
- This is Endicott's first CCC tournament title. In 1998, the program won a GNAC title and in 2014 they won an ECAC title.
FOR THE FOES
- Sprague got the start in net and made three saves before Caleb Chang (North Point, Hong Kong) (0-1-0) came in late during the overtime period. Chang recorded one save during the loss.
- Josh Cochran (Bellville, Ohio) led the offense with three shots, while Ian Burkhart (Lancaster, Pa.) had two.
WHAT'S NEXT
Endicott (13-4-3) advances to the NCAA Division III men's soccer tournament for the first time in program history. The Gulls will learn who they play in the first-round during the NCAA selection webstream on Monday, Nov. 6 at 1:30 p.m. Gordon (13-6-1) concludes their season with the loss.
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(Photo Credit - David Le '10)
