BEVERLY, Mass. – Senior forward Colleen Pepin (Fairhaven, Mass.) scored twice and Natalie Wyrsch (Dover, N.H.) made five saves as the Endicott Gulls opened their Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) schedule with a 2-0 victory over Western New England University at Endicott Stadium on Saturday. Endicott improves to 4-1 on the season, while the Golden Bears drop to 0-5.
Just shy of the half hour mark, Pepin broke through for the Gulls when she got into the box amidst a scrum of Western New England defenders. Despite the heavy coverage, Pepin was able to poke the ball to the far post for her fourth goal of the year. Endicott had one more chance at the end of the first half through Micaela Hogan (Salisbury, Mass.), but the midfielder's shot was stuffed by WNE sophomore goalie Victoria Trezise (Islip, N.Y.). Hogan was one of several substitutes who played well for the Blue and Green, firing two shots on goal.
The middle of the second half saw back and forth action across the pitch and several chances both ways. At one end of the field, WNE freshman Tayler Mazurski (Wolcott, Conn.) got in on goal from the right side but had her attempt blocked by a sliding Wyrsch.
Pepin had two more chances to double the Gull's advantage. In the sixty-second minute, she got in behind the Golden Bear's defense but was unable to track down the ball before it ran out of bounds. Two minutes later, Pepin had a clear chance on goal and was stuffed by Trezise, who made eight saves for Western New England. The ball squirted out, but the senior co-captain's turnaround shot sailed wide.
Pepin did cash in on her second goal of the game in the 73rd minute, when her high rising shot struck the underside of the cross-bar and went straight down over the goal line. Pepin, who had two hat-tricks against Western New England last season, was removed as a late sub after her brace of goals.
Endicott had a 20-6 advantage in shots and the hosts took three corner kicks, while WNE did not earn a try from the corner flag.
The Gulls will next be in action on Wednesday afternoon when they travel to Norton, Mass. for a non-conference matchup with New England powerhouse Wheaton College. The Golden Bears will look for their first win at home on Wednesday when they host Mount Saint Mary of New York. Both kick-offs are slated for 4:30.
