BEVERLY, Mass. — The No. 22 nationally ranked Endicott men's soccer team defeated the University of New England (UNE), 3-0, in conference action on Tuesday night at Blue Storm Stadium.
With the win, Endicott locked up the CCC Regular Season title and the No. 1 seed in the upcoming conference tournament.
Joe Mepham (Sudbury, Mass.), Jason Brodeur (Hanson, Mass.), and Max Karkos (Wethersfield, Conn.) all scored in the victory (52', 85', 87').
The Gulls' first tally of the contest came off a perfectly executed triangle passing scheme up the right wing.
Konrad Krysztoforski (Bydgoszcz, Poland) and Mepham jumpstarted the opportunity with a quick exchange to free Karkos into space just outside the top right corner of the box.
The one-two combo pass forced three UNE defenders to crash toward Karkos, leaving Mepham wide open in the box to punch home a one-timer bid into the back of the net.
Endicott's second goal was just as clinical, once again showcasing Mepham and Karkos' slick passing skills.
Mepham initiated the goal with a long through ball from the midline all the way up the right seam for Karkos. The junior forward then put on the jets to chase down the loose ball and later fed a bounding cross to Brodeur who finished the opportunity with a diving header.
Meanwhile, in goal, Kyle Rosa (Norton, Mass.) registered three saves for his fourth clean sheet of the season (6-1-3).
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Endicott entered the national rankings for the first time in program history earlier today.
- The Gulls improved to 4-3-2 on the road.
- Mepham produced his third multi-assist game of the season, while Karkos notched his first.
- Mepham leads the CCC in assists with 13 total (tied third nationally).
WHAT'S NEXT
No. 22 Endicott (12-4-4, 7-1-1 CCC) will host the winner of the No. 4/5 matchup in the CCC Semifinals on Wednesday, November 2 (time TBD). UNE sees its season come to a close at 0-16-2 overall (0-9-0 CCC).
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(Photo Credit - Jonny Ratner '24)
