Endicott Falls to Tufts 3-0 in Non-Conference Matchup

BEVERLY, Mass.-  The matchup between Endicott and Tufts on Tuesday night saw two teams entering the match having lost their previous contests by a goal.  Tufts would prove to be too much for the Gulls to handle and would take down the Gulls 3-0.  The Jumbos received a two goal effort from first year Jess Capone (Schenectady, N.Y.) while keeper Kristin Wright (Austin, Texas) would pitch a shutout to improve Tufts record to 5-4-0 on the season.  With the loss, Endicott falls to 7-5-1 with a pivotal Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) matchup on the horizon Saturday against Salve Regina.

The Jumbos would control the majority of chances in the first half as they would outshoot Endicott 10 to five.  Tuft's first chance came in the 12^th minute when Capone gathered a through ball that deflected off of an Endicott defender and keeper.  Capone's shot on the open frame would sail just high of the crossbar and would see the score remain 0-0. 

The first year player would remain hungry and would put Tufts on top 1-0 roughly four minutes later when she would take a feed from Nikki Blank (Short Hills, N.J.) and would beat Endicott's Katie Donnelly (Madison, Conn.) for her second of the season.  Blank beat the Endicott defense to the ball and was able to poke a beautiful through ball to Capone.  Capone was able to run on and one time the shot from the right side of the box that would beat a diving Donnelly to the lower left corner.

With the score 1-0 in their favor, Tufts continued to press and would eventually breakthrough for their second and most interesting goal of the evening.  Blair Brady (San Antonio, Texas) would launch a cross into the box that took an extremely high bounce and cleared a charging Donnelly and found Anya Kaufmann (Evergreen, Colo.).  Kaufmann was able to turn and snap a shot on frame that no Endicott defenders could block and found the back of the net for a 2-0 lead.

Endicott's best scoring chance of the first half came off of Madison Missinne (Ridgefield, Conn.) break out down the left wing.  Missinne was able to gather the ball around midfield and broke out down the left side with a Jumbos defender following stride for stide.  The senior was able to stop nearly on a dime from roughly 15 yards out and shake the defender leaving her with a look at the goal.  Missinne rifled the shot towards the net but it would sail high and right to leave the score 2-0 in favor of Tufts.  That score would hold true through the half. 

The 2-0 score would stand until the 73^rd minute when Capone would net her second of the night and third of the season.  Capone was able to gather a ball that clipped off a defenders heel as she applied pressure and ran under it.  The first year forward gathered the ball and was able to blast a shot at new Endicott keeper Natalie Wyrsch (Dover, N.H.) who did all she could to keep the ball from crossing the plane.  The shot squeaked through Wyrsch's hands as she laid out to recover but the ball cleared the goal line to give the Jumbos the 3-0 lead.

Endicott would muster one last surge in the second half and created a quality scoring chance when Clare Mansfield (Stoneham, Mass.) took a free kick off of a Tufts foul about 30 yards out from the goal.  Mansfield used a rocket of a free kick that was curling away from Wright and towards the back post to create the chance but the keeper was able to catch up to the shot just in time and poked it wide and safe of the frame.  That would be the last quality chance for either squad as the score would remain 3-0 Tufts until the final whistle.

For Wright, it was her fourth win on the season and second shutout.  She was forced to make four saves in net as she improved her record to 4-0-0 while the team improved to 5-4-0.  Capone's two goals came on three total shots while four other Jumbos registered two shots a piece.

For Endicott, Natalie Wyrsch came on in the 29^th minute to spell Donnelly who had let up two goals while making one save.  Wyrsch played well in relief and was able to make five impressive saves on six shots.  Audrey Parolin (Cumberland, Maine) led the team with three shots while Missinne and Taylor Geas (Somers, Conn.) tallied two each.  Geas, Parolin, Mansfield and LeeAnn Card (Paxton, Mass.) each registered a shot on goal in the loss. 

Endicott now turns to Saturday when they travel to Newport, R.I. to take on Salve Regina in a pivotal CCC matchup.  Tufts also returns to action Saturday as they play host to Conn. College.