Women's Soccer Downs Salem State, 3-0, In Season Opener

WSOC POSTGAME INTERVIEW WITH HEAD COACH JODI KENYON

BEVERLY, Mass. – The Endicott women's soccer team opened up its 2015 season with a 3-0 victory over Salem State University in non-conference action on Wednesday night at Endicott Stadium.

Gulls' senior midfielder Laura Wysocki (Somers, Conn.) opened up the scoring in the 15th minute with a penalty kick goal, that she slotted into the right side of the net, to give the hosts a 1-0 advantage.

Following Wysocki's tally, Endicott proceeded to hold the Vikings to just one shot over the next 26:14 of action before freshman midfielder Alexandra Burgess (Hebron, Conn.) buried her first collegiate goal at the 40:46 mark on a slick feed from classmate Alyssa Smithsilk (Charlton, Mass.) to double the gap on the scoreboard.

Burgess went on to add her second career goal in the 76th minute with a shot into the upper right corner of the net after receiving a high feed by senior Emily Rodewald (Canton, Conn.) that beat Salem State's backline and allowed Burgess the opportunity to take on the Vikings' goalkeeper one-on-one in space.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• Wysocki's penalty kick goal was the first of her career.
• Sophomore goalkeeper Kristin Hartlage (Niskayuna, N.Y.) made two saves to earn her first collegiate win and shutout.
• Endicott is now 6-6-6 all-time against Salem State, which dates back to 1999, and 4-0-3 in the last seven meetings between the two clubs.
• The Gulls have not allowed a goal in their last four wins against the Vikings outscoring their opposition 9-0 during that span.

FOR THE FOES

• Senior Kelly Birchmore (Swampscott, Mass.) and junior Allison Celia (Hopkinton, Mass.) tied for the team-lead in shots with three apiece.
• Junior Kara Digiacomo (Peabody, Mass.) nearly cut the deficit in half in the 45th minute with a high shot against Hartlage but the sophomore goalkeeper punched away the scoring attempt to keep the game scoreless.
• Senior goalkeeper Rachel Ledbetter (Dracut, Mass.) notched a game-high four saves.

NOTES

• Endicott picked up its first season opening win since 2012, a 3-0 victory over Salem State on September 2 on the road.

WHAT'S NEXT

Endicott (1-0) travels to Keene State College on Saturday, September 5 for a non-conference matchup against the Owls at 3:30 p.m. Salem State (0-1) heads to WPI on Saturday at 1 p.m. 

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