BIDDEFORD, Maine – Endicott got eight goals and two assists from senior attack Holly Davis (Guilford, Conn.) and used a 7-0 scoring streak in the first half to defeat the University of New England 20-9 on Tuesday night at Big Blue Turf in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) women's lacrosse action.
Davis scored the first goal of the game and then completed her hat trick by the end of the first half, as Endicott more than overcame an early 2-1 Nor'easter lead.
Kelly Tierney (South Hadley, Mass.) scored four times and had two assists for Endicott, who improves to 9-5 on the year and stays atop the CCC with a 6-0 mark. Caitlin Pratt (Bow, N.H.) added a hat trick of her own, while senior Lauren Todd (Newfield, N.H.) had a strong all around night, scoring twice, dishing out two assists, grabbing three ground balls, winning four draw controls and causing two turnovers.
For the hosts, who fall to 5-8 (3-3 CCC), sophomore Gina Newsome (Danbury, Conn.) scored three times and Hannah Tavella (Putnam Valley, N.Y.) added two markers , but Endicott held a 21-9 edge on draw controls and a 33-18 shot advantage.
After Newsome and Tavella had put the home team ahead, Tierney began the streak of goals that included two each by herself, Todd, and Davis one by Pratt. When the dust settled, Endicott was holding an 8-2 lead with 2:38 left in the first half. Tavella took a pass from Newsome and netted her second of the half with 1:31 to play and the Gulls took a five-goal, 8-3, lead into the break.
In the second half, Tierney netted the first of five unassisted goals just 41 seconds from the opening whistle, and, after Newsome had responded, Davis netted twice more within a span of 53 seconds.
Sophomore Nikki Smith (Shapleigh, Maine) pulled one back for the home team, but Pratt added another goal and Davis sandwiched goals around a marker by Tierney, with Todd setting up both Davis scores.
UNE would score four of the next five goals, as Johanna Currier (Holderness), Nicolle Steel (Ocean City, N.J.), Kayla Hamel (Lewiston, Maine) and Newsome would make it a 16-9 Endicott lead with five and a half minutes to play, but the Gulls got the last four goals of the game, including a free position shot goal by Rachel Campos (Shrewsbury, Mass.), who won six draw controls for Endicott to lead all players.
Callie Murphy (Woburn, Mass.) won two draws and grabbed two ground balls, while Kelsey Barnes (Mendham, N.J.) caused two turnovers and picked up three ground balls in the Endicott victory.
Junior goalie Rachel Socolow (Westford, Mass.) made seven saves between the pipes for the visitor, while her counterpart, freshman Courtney Kendall (Waltham, Mass.), was able to stop nine Gulls shots.
Currier led the Nor'easters with three caused turnovers, while she, Rachel Schwaner (Holderness, N.H.) and Emily Lodge (Lyman, Maine) paced the home team with two draw controls wins each.
Endicott will celebrate Senior Day in their final home regular season game of the year, which will take place this coming Saturday against Nichols. That game will start at Endicott Stadium at 12:00 noon.
The Nor'easters will host Salve Regina on Saturday at 4:00 pm in their final home regular season game of the year.
