BEVERLY, Mass. — The Endicott men's soccer team fell in a tight-knit battle to No. 2 nationally ranked Middlebury, 2-0, in a Tuesday night thriller at Hempstead Stadium.
The two teams battled back and forth all night, each with some exciting scoring chances, strong, physical defensive play, and slick ball movement in front of the full house crowd.
After a scoreless first half, the Gulls came out firing in the second. Freshman forward Sam Cochran (Cape Elizabeth, Maine) nearly potted the go-ahead goal in the 64th minute off of a perfect feed from Tiago Frazao (Trumbull, Conn.), but the low liner shot missed just wide left of the net.
With the Panthers on a breakaway in the 73rd minute, an outstretched Michael McDonough (Dedham, Mass.) left his feet to deflect the ball up and over the cross bar, keeping the contest scoreless.
Six minutes later, the Panthers eventually worked a foul from just outside the box which would set up the game's first goal. Moments after, they added an insurance tally with a trickler past a diving McDonough.
The Gulls continued to rally and show some late life, but were ultimately unable to track down the Panthers as the final horn sounded.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Middlebury holds a 2-0 edge in the all-time series, having won the first-ever contest between the two teams on September 19, 2023 (1-0).
- McDonough tied his career high with six saves in the contest.
- The back line of Codan Foley (Carver, Mass.), Konrad Krysztoforski (Bydgoszcz, Poland), Hayden Laske (Wethersfield, Conn.), and Camden Rigney (Wilbraham, Mass.) were terrific on the back line, and each played the full 90 minutes for the Blue and Green.
- Aidan Sheehan (Arlington, Mass.) also played the full 90 from the midfield and led the Gulls with a team-high two shots (one on net) in the contest.
- The physical game featured 26 total fouls between the two teams.
WHAT'S NEXT
Endicott (2-3-1) visits Hartford to open up conference play on Saturday, September 21 in a 3 PM kickoff. No. 2 Middlebury (5-0, 2-0 NESCAC) takes on Amherst on the road this Saturday afternoon at 1 PM.
For the latest on Endicott Athletics, follow the Gulls on social media on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
(Photo Credit - Alina Chaparian '28)
