May 1, 2007
BEVERLY, MA - The third seeded Endicott College women's lacrosse team defeated No. 6 Roger Williams University, 21-9, in the Commonwealth Coast Conference quarterfinals on Tuesday afternoon in Beverly, MA. The win advances the Gulls into the CCC semifinals on Thursday where they will travel to second-seeded Curry College (who defeated Salve Regina University 20-8) for a much anticipated rematch with the Colonels.
The Hawks and the Gulls exchanged goals in the early going of Tuesday's playoff game as Endicott's Shiori Tachiwana (Kanagawa, Japan) struck first on an assisted tally from CCC Rookie of the Week Valerie Feldman (Albany, NY/Guilderland) for the early 1-0 lead. Roger Williams University answered right back, notching three of the next four goals to take a 3-2 advantage.
In perhaps her strongest outing in the season's most important contest, Endicott goaltender Erin Curry (Hampstead, NH/Gould Academy) single-handedly kept the Hawks at bay with several point-blank saves on the crease to keep the deficit at one. Rallying behind their senior goalie, the Gulls offense switched it into high gear by rattling off six straight goals in a span of under just nine minutes to spring ahead 8-3. The Blue and Green would hold a five goal cushion entering the intermission.
The Endicott offense exploded out of the halftime break with three quick strikes, capped off by an Alex Pearce (Underhill, VT/Kimball Union Academy) free-position shot to put EC ahead 12-4. The Gulls were able to throw it into cruise control, coasting to a decisive 21-9 CCC quarterfinals win over Roger Williams.
Alex Pearce finished the day with a game-high six goals and two assists for eight points. CCC Rookie of the Week Valerie Feldman made her presence known in her first ever playoff contest, racking up five goals and dishing out three helpers in the win. Emily Judd (Peabody, MA/Peabody) notched three tallies for the Gulls while Erin Curry ended the afternoon with 15 saves between the pipes.
With the win, Endicott advances into the CCC semifinals on Thursday afternoon where they will travel to Curry College for a showdown with the Colonels. The last time these two teams met-up (April 10th), Curry downed Endicott 19-16 in come-from-behin fashion on the Gulls home turf. The semifinal contest is slated for a 4:00 PM face-off in Milton, Massachusetts.
