Field hockey's dream season continues with first CCC title

Box Score

BEVERLY, Mass. – An incredible second half of the season for the Endicott field hockey team continued on Saturday when the Gulls captured the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) field hockey championship. The top-seeded Gulls defeated \#2 University of New England Nor'easters 2-1 in overtime at Endicott's North Field to win their seventh straight game and the first field hockey title in school history.

Taylor Matties (Saratoga Springs, N.Y.) blasted her third goal of the year just 56 seconds into the overtime period to deliver the victory to the home team, who rushed the field in delight. The ball was never in the Endicott end of the field during the sudden-death overtime as Endicott freshman Emily Sawchuck (Cumberland, Maine) took it into the circle off the whistle and won a penalty corner, which was delivered by junior Hannah Thornberg (Oakland, Maine). Matties controlled the ball and dribbled into the box before uncorking her championship-winning shot.

It was the visitors from Biddeford, Maine that got on the board first on a goal by Bree Tupper (Winthrop, Maine) in the 11^th minute. Tupper, from the middle of the field, unloaded on a one-timer shot set up by junior defender Laura Egounis (Boscawen, N.H.). Tupper sent the ball rocketing into the back of the cage for her tenth goal of the season.

The Gulls were not fazed, however, and went immediately back on the attack, needing just over two minutes to level the game again. Junior Melissa Enright (York Beach, Maine) was fed by Matties in front of the net and slammed the ball behind UNE goalie Kaitlyn Warren (Boscawen, N.H.). For Enright, it was her fifteenth goal of the season, which tied her with Thornberg for tops on the team. Matties impressively has collected 13 assists on the year, putting her among the national leaders.

Momentum continued to shift from side to side in the game, though no offensive breakthroughs occurred through the rest of the first or the entire second half. Each team had pockets of strong attacking threats, with Endicott earning 19 penalty corners and the Nor'easters receiving 11. The Gulls outshot their opponents 16-8 and shots on goal were 12-4 in favor of the hosts.

Warren stopped ten shots in net for the Nor'easters, who fall to 18-3. Junior goalie Taylor Teixeira (Exeter, N.H.) made three saves for the Gulls.

It was a triumphant Endicott team that ran onto the field to celebrate and maybe one that didn't believe it would even have a chance to play for the CCC title. The Gulls started off their season dropping seven of their first eight contests but since October 1^st have won eleven of their last twelve games, including nine straight conference games, which earned them the top seed in the tournament. The highlight of that streak, before their championship victory, was a 5-0 win over these same Nor'easters, ending UNE's unbeaten season in their 14^th contest and knocking them from the national rankings.

Now the Gulls (12-8, 9-1 CCC) will be the ones among other national competition, as they will earn the CCC's automatic qualifier into the NCAA tournament. The Gulls will await the release of the brackets next week to see who and where they will be playing. Make sure to check ecgulls.com for updated coverage of their NCAA tournament run.