Oct. 20, 2007
BEVERLY, MA - Heather Mortell (Webster, MA/Bartlett) scored with just two minutes and 15-seconds to play in the first half to lead the Western New England Golden Bears to a 1-0 win over the Endicott College Gulls on Homecoming Saturday afternoon.
The game swayed back and forth for most of the first half with neither team able to command possession or tempo. The Blue and Green tried to establish a presence in front of the WNEC goal early on as Cali Collin (Plattsburgh, NY/Plattsburgh) sent a pair a crosses into the box from the left wing. EC was unable to convert in the first half as the Gulls continued to struggle with putting their shots on net. Endicott held a slight 4-3 advantage in shots in the first half but the Golden Bears were able to put two shots on net while EC managed just one.
The Golden Bears opened the scoring late in the first half when Mortell fought her way through the Gulls defense and set up a shot from just inside the penalty area. Free of the defense, Mortell chipped a shot over the outstretched arms of Endicott goalkeeper Amy Meuse (Saugus, MA/Saugus) and into the back of the net to take a 1-0 lead.
Endicott came out looking to establish themselves as the dominant team on the field in the second half. Unable to control the pace in the first half the Blue and Green took over in the second, controlling the tempo and possession as they fought to tie the score. Paula McGinn had a pair of near misses with 15-minutes to play, the first came when she sent a shot on goal that WNEC goalie Jessica Covino (Bristol, CT/Bristol Central) tipped over the net. On the ensuing corner kick McGinn headed the ball just wide of the goal.
EC got strong play from a number of players including Kelly Lajoie (York, ME/York) who played a vital role in the midfield as well as on the defensive end. Kelly Cosgrove (Sandwich, MA/Sandwich), Sarah Miller (Nashua, NH/Bishop Guertin) and Victoria Hunt (Cumberland, RI/Cumberland) all played well in the back holding WNEC to just two shots in the second half and five overall.
Unfortunately for the Gulls their scoring struggles continued despite an inspired effort from Margreta Weber (Bedford, NH/Manchester West), Ashley Clark (E. Kingston, NH/Pentucket), McGinn and Lajoie. Covino kept the Gulls off the board making six saves to earn the shutout.
Western New England improves to 13-3-2 overall and 10-0-2 in The Commonwealth Coast Conference. The Golden Bears return to action Wednesday when they head to Wenham, MA to take on the Gordon College Fighting Scots at 3:00 p.m. The Gulls fall to 12-5 and are now 10-2 in TCCC play, the loss marks the first time since the 2001 season that the Gulls have lost two conference games. EC returns to the field on Tuesday when they head to Newport, RI to take on the Salve Regina Seahawks at 3:30 p.m. in their last regular season game of the year.
