May 15, 2007

BEVERLY, MA - 2007 was another banner year for the Endicott College women's lacrosse team. The Gulls defeated top-seeded Gordon College 13-12 in the CCC finals to defend their Commonwealth Coast Conference Championship and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year.

The Blue and Green posted an overall record of 13-6 and a 7-2 record in the CCC under second year head coach Kate Mullen. Endicott entered the NCAA Tournament riding a seven game winning streak that included three wins in the CCC Tournament as the third seeded Gulls upset the two conference teams that beat them during the year, Curry College and Gordon.

EC proved to be a formidable road team during the conference playoffs and was sent to Hartford, CT to take on Trinity College in the first round of the NCAA Tournament but the 11th ranked Bantams were well seasoned after playing one of the toughest conference schedules in the country. Endicott fell behind early trailing 14-2 at halftime and could not climb back into the game eventually losing, 19-3.

Despite the tough loss EC still enjoyed one of its most successful seasons to date. In addition to exacting revenge on Curry and Gordon the Blue and Green picked up a big season opening win over future CCC rival Western New England College, 20-16 as well as two non-conference wins over Keene State and MIT.

The 2007 Gulls were led by second team All-CCC attacker Alex Pearce (Underhill, VT/Kimball Union) who was second on the team with 69 points on 49 goals and 23 assists. She also scooped up 45 ground balls and won 40 draw controls. The sophomore came through in the clutch for EC scoring 14 goals and dishing out five assists with 10 ground balls in Endicott's three CCC tournament wins, including six goals against Curry in the semifinals. Pearce was recognized for her play down the stretch earning both CCC Player of the Week and ECAC Player of the Week honors after leading Endicott to its second conference title.

The Gulls relied on one of the most potent offenses in New England in 2007 outscoring opponents 274-215 and averaging 14.42 goals per game while opponents averaged just 11.32. Along with Pearce the EC offense ran through one of the top freshmen in the nation as Valerie Feldman (Albany, NY/Guilderland) racked up 54 goals and 23 assists to lead the team with 77 points. Feldman netted five goals in EC's title clinching win over Gordon and her ability to score, seemingly at will, gave the Gulls a distinct advantage in nearly all of their games.

2006 CCC Defensive Player of the Year Emily Judd (Peabody, MA/Peabody) once again excellent at both ends of the field, taking on a more offensive role and providing Endicott with a midfield spark that allowed the offense to be so effective. Judd scored 28 goals and had seven assists but more importantly she had team highs in ground balls with 53 and draw controls with 49. The junior middie also caused 30 turnovers. Judd's ability to take and retain possession was invaluable to Endicott's success and led to her being named to the All-Conference Second Team.

The Gulls also heavily relied on their defensive line, which was bolstered by First Team All-CCC defender Katie Leighton (Saco, ME/Thornton Academy) and CCC Senior Scholar Athlete Meaghan Mathers (Northampton, MA/Northampton). One of the premiere defenders in the conference, Leighton anchored the Gulls back line scooping up 41 groundballs and causing 21 turnovers. Meanwhile Mathers was equally effective in shutting down opposing offenses. Her off the field intelligence translated well to the turf as she picked up 34 groundballs caused 24 turnovers, while committing just eight. The EC defense also benefited greatly from the play of Hannah Pelletier (Kennebunk, ME/Kennebunk)

Endicott's strong defense extended all the back to the goal with Erin Curry (Hampstead, NH/Gould Academy) and Molly Hamel (North Yarmouth, ME/Greely) playing between the pipes. Curry saw most of the action in the cage logging over 846 minutes in 17 games. The senior posted a goals against average of 13.11 making 176 saves and amassing a 9-5 record. The team will be in good hands in the future as Hamel saw time in nine games and made two starts. The sophomore posted a GAA of 6.14 and a record of 3-1 while making 44 saves.

The Gulls relied heavily on the versatile play of Sara Gunter (Kennebunk, ME/Kennebunk) and Molly Moss (Yarmouth, ME/North Yarmouth Academy) as the duo combined for 60 goals and 17 assists. Gunter was once again among the team leaders in nearly every category, while Moss proved to be both a consistent goal scorer and a tenacious defender. The sophomore scored 21 times and caused 19 turnovers, while committing just nine.

Shiori Tachiwana (Kanagawa, Japan) and Kristen Micho (Syracuse, NY/Westhill) also turned in impressive efforts for Endicott. Tachiwana, a sophomore midfielder notched 16 goals and six assists and proved to be a big threat in free position opportunities. Micho, a freshmen attack joined a stacked EC front line and fit right in scoring 15 times and handing out a pair of assists in 13 games.

The Gulls lose just two seniors, Mathers and Curry, from their 2007 CCC Championship squad and return a team full of players with NCAA Tournament experience. The Blue and Green will look to join a number of EC teams as three time champions in 2008.