Top Seeded Gulls Advance To Semifinals With 2-1 OT Victory Over Curry

BEVERLY, Mass.- Heading into postseason play, regular season records are immediately thrown to the wayside.  Anything can happen in single match elimination play and the #1 seeded Gulls of Endicott vs. the #8 seeded Colonels of Curry provided a fantastic match that ended up seeing the Gulls prevail 2-1 in overtime.  The Gulls, who entered the match with a 13-5-1 (8-1-0) record on the season, needed a goal in the 77^th minute to tie the match at 1-1 to force the extra frame in which they would go on to take home the victory.  Curry, who entered the match with a 6-10-2 (1-7-1) record, gave Endicott all they could handle for the better part of the first half before Endicott would pull away in the second.

Curry got on the board first behind Alayna Coakley's (Grafton, Mass.) third goal of the season.  The senior forward gave the Colonels the 1-0 lead just 13:08 into the match as she came down the left wing with possession of the ball.  She was able to beat the Endicott defense out wide and cut in, taking a shot on net.  Her shot was able to beat Endicott keeper Katie Donnelly's (Madison, Conn.) diving attempt to her left as the ball slipped into the right corner.

The rest of the first half would remain scoreless as the teams traded shots and possession the rest of the way.  While Endicott out-shot Curry 10:5 in the first, Curry led in shots on goal with a 3:2 advantage.  Both keepers made two saves in the first half while corner kicks and fouls were even for both squads as well with two and four respectively. 

The second half would see an inspired Endicott team come out on fire from the very beginning.  The Gulls would post 13 shots in the second frame while the defense stiffened and allowed the Colonels only one shot.  Of the 13 shots for the Gulls, six were on goal while Curry's lone shot was also on goal.  Neither team would attempt a corner in the second while Endicott held a 5-3 advantage in fouls in the half.

Despite the dominant offensive performance in the second, Endicott was still trailing as time was winding down.  All of that changed as Endicott seized the momentum behind Audrey Parolin's (Cumberland, Maine) game-tying strike in the 77^th minute.  Parolin, whose first goal of the season came two matches ago against UNE, gained possession of the ball down the right wing and deep into Colonel territory.  From there, she lobbed a ball on goal and beat Curry keeper Hayley Lorge (Dover, N.H.) for her second of the season and second in the last three contests.

Madison Missinne (Ridgefield, Conn.) came close to giving Endicott the regulation win as she worked with Paige Marinelli (Burlington, Conn.) to create a quality scoring chance with just over three minutes remaining.  Marinelli, who had come on as a sub roughly 15 minutes prior, made one of the most impressive moves of the day as she used a hesitation move followed by a quick burst to get behind the Curry defender near the Colonel's baseline and goal.  From the left corner, the sophomore took advantage of her separation and put a beautiful left-footed cross into the box which found Missinne.  The senior one-timed a shot that had to go high given her close proximity to the keeper and it looked as though she had found the perfect touch until the bar hit the front underside of the cross bar to ricochet clear of the box.  After that opportunity, the Gulls would maintain momentum as time would expire setting up the sudden death overtime period.

Both teams would keep play mostly between the 20's in the overtime period until two All-CCC freshmen would seal the victory for the Gulls.  Jessica Joseph (Bedford, N.H.) grabbed possession of the ball, turned to her left and saw Laura Wysocki (Somers, Conn.) streaking toward the upper left corner of the box.  Joseph fed the through ball on perfectly and Wysocki used one touch before getting off a shot that would beat the outstretched Curry keeper and into the right corner to give Endicott the 2-1 victory just 2:46 into overtime.

Head coach Jodi Kenyon was quick to note the gritty play of her roster when it was clear that they didn't have their best match of the season while also recognizing Katherine Chipman (Brunswick, Maine) and Sarah Person (Holden, Mass.).  "I thought 'Kip' played well today.  She made a lot of defensive stops and was then able to carry possession forward which led to a lot of great offensive opportunities for us," said Kenyon.  "Person also played a great match as she led our defensive unit that really limited their offensive chances today." 

With the win, the top seeded Gulls now move on to host the fifth seeded Leopards of Wentworth.  Wentworth traveled to Biddeford, Maine and upset the fourth seeded Nor'Easters of UNE by the same score, 2-1 in OT.  Endicott is now 14-5-1 on the season while Curry fell to 6-11-2.